Notes From A Royal ScrewUp
by Bombshell1701
Summary: AKA Loki's Mute Adventures on Midgard! A series about Loki's banishment to Earth under the guidance of the Avengers. You'll need to have read my series "What happens on Asgard" to get what's going on. Starring everyone's favourite mischief-maker, and featuring all the Avengers. Chapters running concurrently with Vicissitude. Thank you for reading.
1. Magic Time

**Notes From a Royal Screw-Up**

**Chapter One**

"So, here's what I'm thinking" Tony said, giving Loki a speculative look. "You can understand and speak English without any trouble... so I figure you can probably somehow read and write in English, too. Correct?"

Loki shrugged and nodded.

"I've kinda been wondering how that works," Steve chimed in. "I mean, we all understood everyone when we in Asgard, and they us. When you and Thor are here on Earth, you understand us... How?"

"It must be some sort of god-power" Tony said casually, making Steve shudder ever-so-slightly. Tony smiled. Loki raised his eyebrows.

"Okay. Fair enough," Steve said mildly. "What I don't understand is... when you and I had our run-in in Stuttgart... you spoke English, yet all the German-speaking locals understood you just fine..."

Loki smiled enigmatically, and then made a gesture, one hand holding something, waved over the other hand, flat and palm up.

"What's that, _Lassie_? You want to write something?" Tony said with mock-childish enthusiasm. Both Loki and Steve gave Tony a questioning look. Tony chuckled and shook his head. "Do you have pen and paper?" he asked Steve.

Steve unzipped his satchel and removed his sketchbook and a pencil. He flipped the book open to a blank page and handed it to Loki.

_'Magic'_ Loki wrote.

Steve's eyebrows shot up.

"Right" Tony drawled with a small smile.

"What do you mean,_ magic_? As in, you have magic, or Asgard was magical?" Steve pressed.

Loki pursed his lips, and tapped one slender finger next to the single word he'd written, a haughty look upon his face.

"Magic" Steve repeated, frowning at Tony. "But... if you're bound and powerless and subject to the laws of physics of Earth, not the magic of Asgard... how does this work?" Steve questioned.

Loki quirked and eyebrow and wrote '_MAGIC'_ once again.

Tony chuckled.

Steve fixed Loki with an even look, and the fallen god held the blonde man's gaze.

"Is _magic_ going to be your answer for everything?" Steve asked, and edge creeping into his voice.

_Yes_ Loki wrote with a smirk upon his face.

"Great" Steve sighed.

… … … …

"Thank you for accommodating us" Thor said, looking around the apartment Tony had provided in Stark Tower.

"No sweat. I can't really imagine you two bunking down in the local YMCA" Tony said, smiling mildly at the thought of Thor and Loki sharing bunk beds. He wondered who would win the fight to take top bunk.

"Besides, I had this place furnished with you in mind, you may as well use it."

"That was most courteous of you!" Thor enthused.

"Well, I figured you'd come visit eventually. So there's a California King in the main bedroom" he eyed Thor "I hope it'll be... big enough... for you. Loki, you're in the bedroom across from Thor. You've got a regular King-size." Tony broke off and laughed at his own dirty joke. "That's what he said!" he chuckled to himself.

Thor and Loki looked at him, puzzled.

"Oh, never mind. But hey, welcome to Earth! Prepared to be confused."

Loki took a pen and paper from his pocket. '_Was that a pun? Was Stark being puerile?'_ he wrote. '_I have a regular king-sized __what__?'_

Thor grinned at him. "I would say you are more prince-sized" he said cunningly.

Loki's eye narrowed. '_You are as vile on Midgard as you are on Asgard'_ he wrote.

Thor thumped Loki on the back in a fond, brotherly manner.

Loki sighed.

… … … …

"You did _what_?" Pepper asked calmly.

Tony cringed. He knew what the calm tone meant. It mean he was about to have his scrotum proverbially handed to him. By the love of his life, no less.

"He doesn't even have magic anymore, Pep. It's fine. It's safe" he assured the strawberry blonde as he poured them both a drink. He looked up to face her again, expecting to find angry eyes boring into him. Her expression was not one of anger, but fear, and Tony's stomach clenched. He _hated_ himself every time he made her look like that.

She strode away from him, towards the deck "He threw you out this window" she said firmly, jabbing a finger in the direction of the plate glass.

"Yes, that's true. But he's trying to turn over a new leaf. He was punished pretty heartily on Asgard, and he's mute, and his Mom, you know Frigga, the... goddess of everything... she was just so lovely, and she asked me to help look after him-" Tony ramblingly explained.

"He's a murderer" Pepper hissed. "He's responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people, Tony! How can you justify this? It would be like asking us to take in someone like-"

"I can't justify it, Pepper. I can't explain it." Tony butted in. He frowned and shook his head. "I don't know what I was thinking. I don't know what any of us were thinking. But I... felt _sorry_ for him" he sighed.

"You felt sorry for him?" Pepper asked flatly. "He killed Phil" she breathed, tears welling in her eyes. "He was personally responsible for the death of a good man. You told me that yourself."

Tony swallowed and paced for a moment. Pepper watched him, openly stricken.

"I made a promise to Loki's family. I'm sorry. I should have run this by you first-"

"Yes. You should have" Pepper snapped.

"-There wasn't any way I could, Pepper. I was on Asgard, remember? It was a spur of the moment _Avengers_ thing."

"Yeah? Well, I'm getting sick of you bringing your work home with you, Tony." She turned on her heel and stalked off.

"Nice going, jackass" Tony muttered to himself. "Next time, _start _with the apology."

… … … …

Loki awoke with a start and sprang up in bed, his heart hammering in his chest. His mouth and jaw ached, and he grabbed at his face as he looked around the dark, unfamiliar room.

His anxiety dropped a notched when he found his mouth was not sewn shut, but it took another few seconds for him to remember where he was. His shoulders heaved as he drew in slow, deep breaths, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness.

He worried his mouth with his fingers, trying to smooth out the ever-present ache of the invisible thread. He was covered in sweat, but him mouth was painfully dry.

He slipped from the bed and padded silently into the kitchen. He found a mug in one of the many cupboards, and after a moment of sleep-addled confusion, he remembered how to operate the taps so that the faucet issued cold water.

He took a deep draught, the liquid instantly soothing his parched throat, but he grimaced sharply at the taste of the water. He sniffed at the remaining water in the cup and frowned, and then took another experimental taste.

Clearly, what they called _water _on Midgard bore little resemblance to water on Asgard. Yet, it seemed to afford the same result. Grudgingly, Loki refilled the cup and took another long drink, the hot congestion in his throat subsiding.

Cup in hand, he wandered around the apartment in the dark. The huge suite he shared with his brother was on the same level as the apartment Captain Rogers sometimes used. Above him were the rooms Agents Romanoff and Barton occasionally occupied, and above those, Stark's own private quarters and various labs he used for his work. The whole floor below Loki belonged to Dr Banner; his own private lab and secure living quarters, retrofitted for safety and containment.

Loki moved over to the floor-to-ceiling windows off the living area. They afforded him a magnificent view of the city he'd partially destroyed and tried to enslave.

He felt a wave of emotion wash down his back, twisting his stomach as it went. He huffed as he forced himself to examine the feeling. It was guilt; it was anger. He tried to separate out the sensations, and his instinct was to try to justify his actions to himself once again. He shook his head and stopped that line of thought.

_What did anger get you? _he thought to himself in the darkness as he gazed out across the sparkling lights of the city. _How did vengeance improve your position in life? You are maimed and powerless in this strange place, surrounded by these odd, dangerous people. At their mercy. You have few options... and now you must learn a new role and play your part in their games._

_They think to tame me and teach me new ways? Well... I still know a trick or three. Perhaps they also have lessons to learn, which I alone can show them..._

Loki smiled at the thought.

… … … ...

_Author's notes: Welcome back, thank you for having me! This here series is going to be a bunch of interconnecting drabbles and short stories, which I will probably post as I write them- no real structure, just glimpses into Loki's mute adventures on Midgard. _

_I have a related mini-series and another major series that I'm working towards, but they're a ways off from being ready. Until then, enjoy some mischief! _

_Also, the story picture I found DeviantArt, but I couldn't figure out who the artist was. If anyone knows, please let me know so I can contact the artist for permission._


	2. Naked Breakfast

**Notes From a Royal Screw-up**

**Chapter Two - Naked Breakfast**

Loki awoke suddenly, but this time he did not bolt up in the bed wondering where he was. He lay looking up at the ceiling for a moment, massaging his jaw, before stretching and tumbling out of the bed. He huffed and clambered back up.

He was just about to curl up under the quilt again when the smell of cooking caught his attention. He frowned and sniffed curiously, and that curiosity immediately turned to concern.

He shared this apartment with Thor, and Thor certainly couldn't and _wouldn't_ cook- unless you counted roasting game over a campfire. This odour was sweet and pleasant, and did not smell a thing like cooked meat. Loki scrambled out of bed to investigate.

He found Thor sitting at the kitchen table stuffing his mouth with something that looked like a stack of round, flat cakes covered in something that resembled brown oil, but smelled sweet. Captain Rogers was by the stove, in charge of the cooking.

Thor shouted a greeting, a smile upon his face and his mouth full of food. He gestured enthusiastically to his plate and then Steve in turn.

Steve glanced around. "Morning, Loki. I'm making pan- whoa, why are you naked?" Steve looked at Thor, who was fully-clothed, and hazarded a glance at Loki again before turning wide-eyed back to his cooking. Loki raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, you're gonna want to get dressed. A kitchen's not a safe place to be without any clothes on" Steve suggested.

Loki ambled over to the table, pulled out a chair and sat.

Steve glanced at Loki again, both alarmed and slightly annoyed. Thor looked from his brother to Steve.

"Why is he naked?" Steve asked quietly.

Thor finished chewing his mouthful of pancakes, and washed it down with a big swallow of coffee.

"My brother slumbers naked, and often neglects to dress when he takes his morning meal. Nudity is nothing to be ashamed of, friend Steven, especially when one is young and has a healthy physique."

"Okay, that's... a reasonable answer... but he needs to understand that these apartments are shared housing for all the _Avengers_. Not everyone is comfortable with that sort of thing." Steve blushed.

"Perhaps you should dress" Thor suggested reasonably.

Loki jotted something on a notepad and handed it to Steve.

"_Why are you speaking about me as though I'm either not present, or a very young and idiotic child? I'm mute, not deaf."_

"Uh. Sorry" Steve sighed. He kept his eyes averted. "But we often take meals together. Please remember, Natasha sometimes stays in the building..."

Thor grinned "I doubt the sight of a naked man would cause Natasha to fret. But-" Thor turned to Loki, "She may react not unlike our friend Sif, and try to stab you in the-"

"Hey guys, sleep okay?" Tony said, bustling in. He dropped into the empty chair next to Loki, and handed him something small and shiny. "I didn't sleep a wink; girlfriend kicked me out of our bedroom, into the spare room, long story. But, good thing about pulling and all-nighter is the way sleep-depravation makes me do my best work. That, pal, is for you."

Loki studied the object in his hands. It was the size of a credit card, and only slightly thicker.

"Slide it open- gently" Tony instructed. Loki did so.

"Now, tap the bottom screen." Loki tapped it. The two panels lit up. The bottom panel was a small touch-screen keyboard, the top panel a screen.

"So you don't have to keep writing notes. Just type what you need to say." Tony reached over and demonstrated. He showed Loki how to adjust the font size, and how to save or clear what he'd typed.

"It's not my most innovative, original work, but it's simpler than giving you a Starkphone with a bunch of apps and expecting you to figure it all out. We can work up to that. But for now, at least you can communicate easily."

Loki quickly typed out "_This will be adequate for my needs_"

Tony chuckled. "Yeah, you're welcome. I was gonna put in software that would read the message out loud, but that felt like I was stealing Stephen Hawking's mojo or something" Tony explained.

"Hey, I know who that is now!" Steve said. Loki shrugged, unconcerned. Tony rolled his eyes.

Steve cautiously watched the two play with the device. Tony glanced up at him, and nodded towards Loki. "This guy has got quicker thumbs than you, Rogers! Two minutes in and he's mastered a touch screen."

"I'm getting better" Steve grumbled.

"It still takes you five minutes to type the word_ okay_ when you text" Tony teased.

"Do you realise that Loki is naked? You're sitting next to a naked person. At the breakfast table" Steve said, trying to ruffle Tony.

"_If it bothers you, I can dress_" Loki typed, showing the screen to Tony.

Tony glanced down at Loki and didn't even raise an eyebrow. "Hey, I'm not one to tell people how to live their life. If you wanna get around naked while in the building, I say go for it." Tony shot a smirk at Steve.

"You're not getting pancakes" Steve said to Tony, turning his back.

"Just don't come up to my living quarters naked, okay? I'm having a little trouble bring Pepper on side..."

"_I will dress appropriately and behave impeccably in her presence_" Loki wrote.

"Sure you will" Tony said lightly. "Would probably just be better for all involved parties if you laid low for a while."

Loki gave him a curt nod.

Tony stood "All right, genius, world-saving stuff to do" he called as he walked off. "Hey!" he greeted Bruce with a high-five as the scientist came ambling in.

"Are those pancakes?" Bruce asked hopefully.

"If you can wrestle this batch away from Thor, they're yours" Steve told him with a smile.

Bruce glanced at Loki. "Aren't you cold?" he asked casually.

Loki sighed "_You Midgardians are ridiculously modest_" he typed.

Bruce laughed. "Not me, man. I'm always losing my pants in public. I just figured you'd be uncomfortable. " He took Loki's _Starkjotter _and examined it.

Loki stood and sauntered over to the kitchen drawers, opening them in turn to locate something he'd seen the day before. He found what he was looking for, and pulled it out. He folded it in half, and draped it around his hips, tucking the end into the waistband he'd created. He flourished his hands over the garment, and gave Steve a knowing look.

"That's a tablecloth, Loki!" Steve sighed.

Loki shrugged and sat back down again. Bruce handed him the _Starkjotter_.

"Doctor Banner, brother; I have made a fresh pot of coffee. Would you care for some?" Thor offered.

"Yes please, and I'd like you to call me Bruce" Banner answered. Thor smiled and poured the doctor a cup.

Loki wrinkled his nose as he pulled his cup closer.

"_What_ is _this_?" he typed.

"It is a delicious beverage, indigenous to Midgard. I can't quite describe the flavour, but I believe you will love it" Thor assured him.

Loki looked very wary as he put the cup to his lips and took a sip. His mouth puckered, and he spat the coffee back into the cup.

"Charming" Steve drawled.

He made an appalled face and stuck out his tongue, cringing.

"_It tastes like POISON _!" he typed.

Thor frowned deeply. "Perhaps I made it incorrectly"

"Not, it's fine. It just might not be your thing, Loki. Maybe you should add some cream and sweeten it?" Bruce suggested. He took Loki's cup and cut the dark liquid with dairy creamer and sugar.

Grudgingly, Loki sipped again. He grimaced, choked down the mouthful and looked like he wanted to throw the cup at Thor's head.

"Wow. Maybe you should stick apple juice?" Steve said casually, having watched the exchange with some amusement. He felt a twinge of guilt at his sarcasm; but sometimes it felt good to not be the only one caught off guard by weird new experiences.

Bruce looked thoughtful. "So you're not a coffee guy. Might I suggest something else?"

"_Perhaps you should actually just poison me next time_?" Loki wrote. "_I suspect it would taste better_."

Bruce chuckled, and went over to the kitchen pantry. He put some fresh water into the electric kettle and set it to boil as he measured out some earthy-smelling dry leaves into a small pot.

When the kettle went off the boil, he poured the hot water in to the pot and let it steep for a moment. Loki watched him like a hawk the entire time. Eventually, Bruce set the pot and a small cup in front of Loki.

"_And what is this_?" Loki wondered.

"Green tea," Bruce told him. "Trust me."

Loki's eyes narrowed, but he poured himself a tiny portion, and bought the cup to his nose, sniffing delicately.

"_The smell is less offensive than that of the coffee_" he typed.

He haltingly took a sip. And then another. And then he drained the cup.

"_Yes_," he typed. "_An elegant beverage_." He happily refilled the cup.

"Well, there you go" Bruce said, exchanging an amused glance with Steve.

Thor huffed. "Well... more coffee for me" he said sulkily.


	3. Operation Acclimate

**Notes From a Royal Screw-Up**

**Chapter Three - Operation: Acclimate**

"Get your ass outta bed."

Loki awoke with a start, and sat up to glare at the owner of the voice that had so rudely roused him.

Nick Fury was standing in the doorway of Loki's room, looking exactly as he did every time Loki saw him- black pants, black turtleneck shirt, black leather jacket and black leather eye patch.

Loki rolled his eyes.

"We have a lot to go through today, and I am not waiting around all morning for you to get your ass into gear" Fury added.

Loki stretched his arms up over his head and sighed. He was not looking forward to this. It was day one of _Operation: Acclimate Asgardian Princes to Midgard_; well, that's what Rogers was referring to it as. Loki tended to view it more along the lines of _An_ _Inconvenient Education in the Annoying and Uninspired Lifestyle of a Clearly Inferior People_.

"You've got five minutes. I'll meet you in the lobby downstairs" Fury told him, and then turned on his heel and stalked off.

…

"_Where are we going_?" Loki demanded, when he finally joined Fury twenty minutes later. Fury had scowled at him and didn't answer; instead he took _the Starkjotter_ out of the fallen god's hand and examined it closely.

"Neat" was all Fury said as he handed it back.

Thor was also waiting, wearing an earnest expression that made Loki want to either smile or sigh with frustration. The two gods followed Fury as he lead them through a security door in the lobby of Stark Tower, and down several flights of stairs into a basement, where two black cars were waiting.

The door of one of the cars opened, and Agent Jasper Sitwell stepped out.

"Thor, this is Agent Sitwell, he'll be conducting part of your acclimation training. If you'd like to go with him" Fury instructed. Thor shook the agent's hand and then paused.

"Are we not all travelling together?" Thor asked.

"For the sake of discretion, it's best if you and Loki arrive separately at SHIELD HQ" Sitwell explained.

Thor considered this, and Loki nodded in agreement. Thor nodded his understanding and allowed Sitwell to usher him into the vehicle.

"Have you had a chance to look over any of the notes we prepared for you?" Sitwell asked.

"Yes!" Thor enthused. "You must explain to me this sport you call _American Football_."

Sitwell smiled and nodded to Fury, and then climbed into the car with Thor and closed the door.

Fury opened the door to the second car and gestured for Loki to get in. Loki paused as he typed out a message.

"_I, too, have read the historical and cultural overview your people prepared. I have no interest in Midgardian sports, but I would like to hear more about your holiday known as Hallowe'en_."

Fury gave Loki a weary look "Get in" he said, gesturing to the car.

Loki slid into the car, and Fury climbed in next to him. Another man was already in the vehicle, sitting opposite them, and Loki barely spared him a glance as he got himself settled. He felt a spark of recognition in his mind, and glanced up again at the man opposite him.

The man was very pale and thin, with dark circles under his eyes, and the haunted expression of someone who was constantly in pain. His thinnish brown hair was streaked with grey and combed very neatly, and he wore his dark suit like his own kind of armour. His expression was impeccably neutral, but his eyes were keen and penetrating, and he stared hard at Loki.

Loki stared right back at him, trying to remember where they'd met before. With a sudden thrill of shock it came to him, and he didn't quite manage to keep the surprise from flashing across his face before he caught himself and clamped down on it.

"Hey there, remember me?" The Man said evenly.

Loki set his mouth into a firm line, and raised his chin slightly, keeping his eyes on The Man.

"Nothing to say? Oh, that's right. I heard you had your mouth sewn shut in Asgard, and now you can't talk. That's a neat trick" The Man said casually. "Just so we're clear- you might think us Midgardians beneath you in most ways, but we've got some pretty neat tricks of our own, and we're not afraid to use them. Your presence here on Earth might be being hushed up, but trust me when I tell you you've got a lot of eyes on you, mine included."

Loki kept his expression neutral and his body still. He glanced at Fury, but Fury was casually looking out the window, seemingly oblivious to them.

"I may not look like I'm up to much, but you should know, it takes more than being stabbed in the back to keep me down. I take my job very seriously. First whiff of trouble and I'll do more than just blast you through a wall this time" The Man said with such sincerity that Loki knew it was absolutely a promise.

The car came to a stop inside the basement level of SHEILD headquarters. Fury silently opened the door and slid out, waiting for Loki to follow.

"Hate to say I told you so, but I guess I wasn't wrong about the whole _lack_ of _conviction_ thing" The Man added quietly, just as Loki was moving to climb out of the car. Loki paused and looked at The Man, who studied him silently, his eyes hard.

Loki stepped out of the car and walked off without looking back. He did not witness the way The Man ran a shaky hand over his face as he sighed with relief.

.. .. .. ..

_Author's notes: I thought long and hard about doing this, and after some research into cardiac/thoracic wounds, it seemed vaguely possible, and therefore too good to pass up. So I went with it. As always, thank for reading, I hope you like ups and downs, because I have a lot of them in store!_


	4. Reinvention

**Notes From a Royal Screw-Up**

**Chapter Four - Reinvention**

Loki had read over the brief three times, and each time he re-read it his frown grew deeper.

"_I find this insulting_" he typed.

"Yeah?" Nick Fury asked, looking mildly entertained by the thought. "Which part, exactly?"

"_All of it_" Loki wrote, scowling. Oh, how he longed for his powers, even just a smidgen of them. He'd turn Fury into a cockroach, or a toilet seat... Fury raised his eyebrows knowingly, if he could read the fallen god's hostile thoughts.

"Well, the very best analysts came up with this cover story for you, Loki. If you don't like it, you could always try your luck out there with your real identity..." Fury said, a thinly veiled threat.

Loki let out a harsh breath through his nose as he pressed his lips together.

"_Could you have at least given me a less... offensive... name?_" Loki typed.

"What? You don't like it? I came up with that myself, I thought it was perfect." Loki could practically feel the waves of smugness coming off the man in front of him.

"_Joe Tunn_" Loki type, scowling.

"That's right"

"_Joe Tunn... Jotun. That is what you wish to call me now? You are mocking me for my parentage_."

"Mocking you? No. Making it easy for you to remember. The best lies are the simplest" Fury said plainly. "_Joe Tunn_ is easy to remember, and it's a plain, believable name."

Loki glared at Fury. "_The rest of it is equally horrifying_" Loki typed.

Fury gave him a sardonic look, picked up the printed sheets and read the brief aloud.

"Joe Tunn, born Nineteen Eighty Four- there's a cultural reference in there, but I'm gonna let you work that out for yourself- Tonsberg, Norway, raised in London, England. Father was a diplomat, mother was a socialite. Parents both recently deceased-"

"_My parents are gods, they eat the apples of Idun and are therefore gifted with immortality, you mortal_" Loki wrote, a dark scowl creasing his brow.

"Are you talking about the dad you killed, or Odin? I'm confused" Fury said coldly.

Loki raised his chin, face neutral and eyes dangerous.

"People _like_ the orphan thing. It creates sympathy. And it keeps your life here simple" Fury said unapologetically. He continued reading the brief:

"You attended a top-notch and completely fictional Swiss boarding school- don't worry, the only boarding schools anyone's heard about over here are Eton and Hogwarts, no one is going to call you out... A tragic clarinet accident when you were in your mid-twenties irreparably damaged your vocal chords rendering you mute-"

Loki typed furiously on his _Starkjotter_ "_What is a clarinet?_"

Fury ignore him and continued. "Your parents were old family friends of the Starks, hence Tony's inviting you to stay with him while you get your life together" Fury concluded.

Loki sighed and folded his arms, dissatisfied.

"And your _are_ going to get your life together- starting with finding a job" Fury said smugly.

Loki's brow furrowed. "_What on_ Midgard _could you possibly expect me to do_?" he typed, practically flinging the _Starkjotter_ across the table at Fury.

"Earn your keep" Fury said plainly. "SHIELD is not made of money, and I have no intention of continuing to use my discretionary funding to keep you in food and clothes. And you're sure as hell not going to mooch off Stark, that guy has done enough for you already."

"_Stark is disgustingly rich. He told me so himself_."

Fury shook his head. "No. That's not the point. You're going to learn to look after yourself, and you're going to learn to contribute to this society, even if it's just earning enough minimum wage to pay taxes like a good citizen" Fury said narrowing his eyes.

Loki narrowed his eyes right back. "_I'm sure I can make do for the moment_" he typed, a haughty look upon his face.

"Oh, Really? From what I hear, you're so broke you can't even afford to buy a pair of pyjamas" Fury shot.

Loki rolled his eyes. "_So what am I supposed to do?_"

Fury shook his head. "I'm gonna let you figure that one out yourself. There's gotta be something you're good at. Apart from just making mess and letting others clean up after you..."

… … ...

Loki climbed into the car. Thor was already in the back seat, looking glum, his bemusement palpable. "How did you fair?" he asked Loki.

Loki sighed and handed his clutch of papers to his brother. Thor handed him for his own papers.

"I am to be _Donald Blake_" Thor said in a flat tone. Loki gave him a questioning look.

"That is name of a real man, and he was my lady Jane's lover some years ago. Sitwell said I should not worry, the _real_ Donald Blake is... worming orphans in Burkina Faso- whatever that means-so he won't mind me using his name..."

"_Why can you not simply be who you are, the_ Mighty Thor of Asgard? _The Midgardians know you as their champion. Surely they would accept you?_" Loki typed.

Thor shook his head sadly, and Loki could sense his confusion."There is a question of my privacy, and also legal complications and other matters. It seems very important for me to hide my true identity."

"_But surely you will be recognised?_"

Thor shrugged "SHIELD do not believe so. The expression they used is _hidden in plain sight_."

Loki shook his head. Thor was just about the least unobtrusive creature ever created.

"What about you? What curious back-story are you hiding behind?" Thor asked in a disgruntled tone. Loki frowned and gestured at the papers. Thor read through them, blinked, and suddenly snorted with laughter.

"_Joe Tunn_!" he spluttered. "Jotun!"

Loki's eyes narrowed.

Thor pressed his knuckles to his mouth until he had himself under control, amusement and shame rolling off him. "I apologise, brother. It was unfair of me to laugh." He snorted again and Loki rolled his eyes.

Thor reigned in his chuckle and shook his head. "Whoever concocted these aliases for us has a cruel sense of humour" he sighed. Loki nodded.

They continued read each other's back-stories.

"I find it strange that we are not brothers in this realm. Is it because we do not look alike?" Thor asked obtusely. Loki gave him a look that clearly said _you are an idiot._ Thor frowned deeply and went back to his reading.

"_What is this _Australia?" Loki typed.

"I do not know" Thor admitted.

"_Well, you had better find out, because Donald Blake spent much of his youth there_" Loki wrote.

Thor nodded.

"_You are pretending to be a physician?_" Loki typed, an incredulous look upon his face.

"Yes" Thor said proudly. Loki looked at him again like he was deranged. "_You are not learned in the healing arts. Do not start trying to mend people, or I will summon Eir to come down here and kick you in the backside._" Loki typed, frowning.

Thor laughed like he thought Loki joking.

"You will have to seek employment" Thor said, sounding both amused and concerned.

Loki rolled his eyes.

"Hmm... let us inventory your skills" Thor began.

"_Later_" Loki typed. "_I am weary and wish to rest_".

"You will not be able to sneak off and nap like a cat when you are gainfully employed" Thor scolded.

"_I know. So I am getting as much slumber as I can before then_" Loki typed quickly.

Thor chuckled.

Loki sighed, his mouth ached, and he'd felt uneasy since his earlier encounter with that man he'd tried to kill.

He knew that Thor and the others all believed that man dead, and that much of their ire towards Loki stemmed from that. For a moment he considered telling his brother, but he didn't.

He didn't understand why it was being kept a secret. He would keep that information to himself, suspecting it could be used as a bargaining chip.

He felt his presence on Midgard far too precarious, far too dependent on the goodwill of people who clearly did not approve of him.

He did not wish for their approval.

… … … …

_Author's notes: So many puns. You'll have to forgive my deranged sense of humour. I doubt I'm the first person to ever call Loki "Joe Tunn", but when I had the idea for it I howled with laughter for about 5 minutes, so I HAD to use it. And as for making Thor 'Australian' and Loki 'English', c'mon, how could I not?!_

_And as for the clarinet thing... I don't even know what that's about. It popped into my head and sounded slightly dodgy so I went for it. It isn't supposed to make any sense. Anyway, thanks for reading!_


	5. Delicacies

**Notes From a Royal Screw-up**

**Chapter Five - Delicacies**

Loki awoke the third morning of his exile, and checked he was in the center of the bed before stretching like a feline. He settled back down, mind turning over the developments of the previous day.

Loki prided himself on his intellect, and certainly considered himself a quick study, but he had so much to learn about his new homeworld, and very little desire to do so.

His stomach rumbled with hunger and he sighed, wondering if there was anyone who could be impressed upon to bring him food. He was suspicious and disappointed by the lack of serving maidens in this household. It didn't seem quite right for one so wealthy and lofty as Tony Stark.

He inhaled deeply but couldn't smell breakfast cooking. He finally rolled out of bed and very grudgingly put on a pair of pants, before idling into the kitchen.

He frowned when he did not see a cooked breakfast set out, and looked around the kitchen.

"_Where is the Captain? And more importantly, where is breakfast?_" He typed. He thrust the note at Thor.

Thor was clearly amused. "The Captain is not our cook. He was simply trying to make us feel welcome our first morning here. He had an early meeting at SHEILD headquarters and has left us to fend for ourselves. But do not be afraid, brother, for I have taken matters into my own hands" he said confidently.

Loki startled slightly at a clicking sound that issued from the kitchen counter behind him.

"Ah! They are ready!" Thor said happily. He moved over to a device on the counter, and gingerly lifted something out of it, tossing it onto a waiting plate. He hissed and shook his hand.

"Be cautious, the filling is very hot" he warned, handing the plate to his brother. He removed another one of the items and tossed it onto his own plate.

Loki stood looking dubiously at the thing Thor had cooked him. He set the plate down.

"_What is this?_"

"It is called a _Pop Tart_" Thor said knowledgeable. "And don't worry, I have several boxes of them in the pantry, in many different flavours. We will be able to appease our appetites."

Loki watched Thor carefully pick up the rectangle of pastry, and bite into it. His brother made a hum of satisfaction. Loki shrugged and followed suit.

The pastry was incredibly sweet and slightly dry, and the filling unlike anything he had tasted before. It was creamy and cloyingly sweet. He ate the whole thing, entirely uncertain if he cared for it or not.

"Did you like it?" Thor asked with unguarded enthusiasm. He'd finished his Pop Tart in two bites.

"_I am not sure_" Loki wrote.

"All right. Perhaps we should sample another flavour? That one was called Ice Cream Sundae." Thor opened the pantry and pulled a dozen boxes out. "Strawberry. S'more... I'm not sure what flavour that is... Wildberry- that sound promising. Raspberry... Apple Cinnamon..."

Loki pointed to the box of Apple Cinnamon.

"Good choice" Thor murmured, as he opened the packaging and placed the pastries into the toaster. Loki picked up the shiny packet the Pop Tarts had occupied and studied it as he crinkled it with his fingers. "_I like this material_" he noted.

"It's what inside that counts" Thor quipped with a smile as the pastries popped up. Thor flung them on the plates, and they waited impatiently until they had cooled enough to handle.

Loki frowned thoughtfully as he sampled the Apple Cinnamon. "_This in no way tastes like an apple, but I find it more pleasing that the Ice Cream Sundae one, which was entirely too sweet_." he wrote.

"Apple is good... but wait until you try the ones that are flavoured Blueberry!" Thor said, reaching for another box.

...

Steve let out a sigh as he entered Thor and Loki's apartment. He'd had a frustrating morning of meetings with bureaucrats and wanted nothing more than to pull on his hand wraps and work out some tension on a punching bag, but he still felt like he should check in on the off-worlders.

He stopped short when he walked into the kitchen. Thor was seated at the table, hunched over, his head in his hands. Loki was stretched out on the counter, eyes closed, holding his stomach.

"What's wrong" Steve asked.

"We ate the Pop Tarts" came Thor's muttered response. Loki whimpered.

"Which ones?" Steve wondered, brow furrowing.

"All of them" Thor admitted. He pointed to the large stack of empty Pop Tarts boxes in the recycling bin.

Loki groaned.

… … … ...

"_Sir, an_ incident _has occurred in the kitchen of the apartment Thor and Loki share. It may require your intervention_" JARVIS' calm voice announced.

"What kind of incident?" Tony asked warily.

"A cooking-related event" JARVIS noted, a tone of what almost sounded like apology creeping into the A.I.'s voice.

Tony muttered a series of expletives and high-tailed it downstairs.

...

Tony heard the smoke alarm from outside the front entrance to the apartment. He raced inside and was met with the acrid stench of burning.

"JARVIS, do we need to call the fire department?"

"I do not believe that will be necessary, sir" JARVIS answered smoothly.

Tony stepped into the smoke-filled kitchen to see Loki standing on a chair, wearing nothing but a towel around his hips, and fanning the smoke detector, a furious look upon his face.

"What the hell did you do?" Tony demanded.

Loki could not answer without his _Starkjotter_, so he just scowled and continued fanning.

"JARVIS, set the kitchen extraction fans to maximum" Tony instructed.

"I have already done so."

Finally, the smoke alarmed stopped screeching. Loki eyed the thing sceptically, and then stepped down off the chair with a weary sigh. He coughed heavily and dropped into the chair he'd just been standing on. Now that the smoke had cleared, Tony could see the kitchen. There was no damage, no immediate sign of destruction.

"So, now you're trying to _burn_ down my building?"

Loki coughed again and picked up the jotter from the table.

"_I was_ trying _to make microwave popcorn_" Loki typed, a sour look on his place.

Tony read the note and snorted with laughter, earning him a withering look.

"Do you always make popcorn while wearing a toga?" Tony asked.

Loki's eyes narrowed. Tony smirked.

"_I had seen Captain Rogers make the popcorn, and the method seemed simple enough. I studied that infernal device-_" he gestured sharply at the microwave "_followed the instructions on the packaging of the popcorn… I believe I may have cooked it for too long_."

"You think?" Tony drawled. He stood up and opened the pedal bin. Inside was a scorched-black and stinking bag of what used to be microwave popcorn. "Son of a- how long did you set it for?" he demanded with a laugh.

Loki sighed, and very grudgingly typed "_Instead of typing 3 minutes onto the keypad, I believe I may have typed in 30 minutes..._."

Tony eyed him thoughtfully. "And then you left the room to take a shower."

"_I was drawing a bath, actually_."

"You were going to sit in the bath and eat popcorn?" Tony asked, impressed and amused.

Loki shrugged _"I have done stranger things while bathing_"

"I don't doubt it" Tony muttered. With a sigh, he hazarded a look at the inside of the microwave. It was sooty and smelled strongly of burned corn.

"Okay. Get dressed. Put the garbage down the waste chute and please, for the love of popcorn, clean the microwave." Tony instructed.

Loki frowned, nodded curtly, and looked uncomfortable. Hesitantly he typed something out on his _Starkjotter_.

"_I would appreciate it if you didn't mention this to the others. I feel foolish enough without having to be mocked by all and sundry for my inability to make a simple snack_."

Tony struggled to keep the grin off his face, and failed. Loki's mouth pressed into a thin line.

"I''m not gonna say a thing to anyone" Tony assured him lightly. "But the whole apartment is going to stink for days. So… whatever excuse you want to come up with, I'll totally back you up." he gave Loki a good-natured slap on his bare shoulder, and with a grin, ambled out of the kitchen.

Loki turned to look again at the microwave, and wondered _exactly_ how much trouble he'd get into if he pitched the damned thing off the balcony.

… … … …

Loki heard the door to the apartment open, and he looked up, over the top of the couch to see who had entered his domain. He heard a _click click_ on the tiles as the visitor walked thought the apartment. She walked past the living area, not noticing Loki in the couch, and from his hidden vantage point, Loki got his first look at Tony Stark's lady love.

Miss Virginia Potts was not what he might have expected, not that he had any real idea of what someone like Stark would require from a mate, apart from certain skills in the bedchamber.

This one- Tony referred to her as _Pepper_- was a little on the thin side for Loki's personal tastes, though in her short skirt she displayed strong, excellent legs. It was hard to gauge her height, wearing as she was the ridiculously high heels young women of this realm seemed inexplicably to favour. Her hair was neither long nor short, and neither blonde nor red. He decided she was quite plain.

She clicked her way into the kitchen, and finding it empty, clicked out into the hallway again, looking puzzled and annoyed.

Loki gently cleared his throat to inform her of his presence. She startled slightly when she realised she was not alone in the living room, head whipping around to look at him, and then startled again when she realised it was Loki sitting there.

They studied each other silently for a moment. Front on, Loki decided that she was much prettier than he'd first realised. She had fine cheekbones and a quaint dusting of freckles across her nose. Pepper blinked at him as though she did not know what to make of him. She looked puzzled by his appearance.

"I'm looking for Tony" she finally said in a flat tone.

Loki was about to gesture towards the balcony, but that seemed rude, so he took the jotter out of his pocket and typed a reply instead.

"_He is on the balcony with Thor. Tony had an idea for an experiment with the weather, and I believe they are testing it_."

Pepper frowned and looked towards the balcony. She seemed to be deciding something. She looked back to Loki. "Is it going to be dangerous to go out there?" she asked.

"_Quite possibly_" Loki typed.

Pepper sighed very quietly. Loki could sense her discomfort and eagerness to be just about anywhere but in the same room as him. He debated internally for a moment before typing "_Would you like me to fetch Tony for you?_"

"No. No, It doesn't matter. Can you just ask Tony to see me when he's done?"

"_Certainly_" Loki typed.

"Thanks" Pepper muttered. She was studying him again, with a peculiar expression. "Have you been eating strawberry popsicles?"

Loki peered questioningly at her and shook his head no.

"Oh. Well. All around your mouth is red. And your fingers, too. It looks like you've been eating popsicles..." she trailed off, suddenly looking very uncomfortable, and Loki wondered with a thrill of amusement if she thought he'd been drinking some poor little creature's blood.

And then he realised, with an internal sigh, that was probably not a good impression to make. So he reached over to the side table, and held up the jar he'd been eating from, which was now empty save for a little juice.

Pepper stared at it, puzzled. "Beetroot?"

Loki nodded earnestly. He set the jar back down and wrote out "_We do not have this on Asgard. Is it really a vegetable?_"

Pepper still looked uneasy. "Yes. It's a vegetable. You just ate a whole twenty-four ounce jar of baby beetroot?" she asked. Her anxiety seemed to be shifting to a wary kind of curiousity.

"_They are quite delicious_" Loki typed, feeling foolish. He should have let her think he was eating actual _babies_. That would have ended her unwelcome scrutiny quite promptly and permanently.

"Well" said, looking uncertain. "I suppose that's better that an entire tub of Ben & Jerry's. Or maybe that's just my thing..."

Loki raised his eyebrows.

"Never mind" Pepper said, backing away from the couch.

Loki nodded absently and turned back to the television, dismissing Pepper and allowing her to slip out of the room. When she was gone, he padded into the kitchen and rifled through the pantry until he found another jar of the delectable red vegetables.

… … … …

_Author's notes: Ah hahaha, oh Loki! The beetroot thing is all me._


	6. Feels

**Notes From a Royal Screw-up**

**Chapter Six: Feels**

"This is the worst idea you ever had" Pepper grumbled. "I don't even want to go anymore."

"Pep, c'mon. It's your birthday, you've been looking forward to this for months." Tony soothed. "It would be a shame for you to miss out."

Pepper frowned. "Why did you have to ask _Loki _to fill in? Why not Rhodey, or Bruce... or anyone?"

"Rhodey and Bruce have things they're working on. Steve would be waiting for explosions and wouldn't be able to sit still after five minutes, Clint and Nat would each kill me for even mentioning it, and I think Thor would probably get so wrapped up in it he'd start brandishing Mjolnir at the actors."

Pepper smiled at the thought of that.

"Loki will _get_ it. I think it's a good experience for him."

Pepper looked deeply doubtful.

"You know how sorry I am, right, that I got sick?"

"I know" Pepper murmured. She placed a palm on his forehead and grimaced. "Did you take your medicine, Tony? You're scalding hot."

"I'm gonna be fine, I just have to rest" he pulled a face and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, right" Pepper sighed. She studied him, concerned at his unusual pallor and fever-bright eyes. "Trust you to get man flu on my birthday."

"In my defence, I'm not enjoying it much."

"Sure, any excuse to get out of the opera."

"What?" Tony asked, feigning hurt "I love Wagner! _Tristan und Isolde_ is the most romantic, compelling masterpiece-"

"Yeah, yeah" Pepper muttered. "You're just sending Loki to mess with him. He's probably going to be bored stupid in five minutes."

Tony couldn't help by smirk "Though did cross my mind" he admitted.

"Tony!" Pepper said exasperated.

"Hey, c'mon. Guy looks good in a tux. He'll be a good date, you'll see."

Pepper sighed, resigned to the arrangement Tony had made, even though she hated the idea.

"Now, go get ready. I'm gonna take a nap" Tony murmured.

…

Pepper had said very little to Loki on the ride over to the Met. She'd accepted his sincere compliment on her appearance with a slightly awkward compliment of her own, and they'd lapsed into an uneasy silence. She sat as far away from him as seemed polite and worked on keeping her breathing calm.

She let out a slow breath as they entered the grand foyer, her shoulders drawn back and posture stiff with nerves.

Loki felt a strange sense of deja vu... he remembered the last time he'd been inside an opera house... but, well, that was in his past. Tonight he would behave, and be the polite and elegant companion to Miss Virginia Potts.

People who knew her wandered over to greet her and inquire after Tony. She made the billionaire's apologies and casually introduced Loki as Joe, a Stark family friend, just as she'd been instructed.

Loki made nice, smiling, shaking hands and occasionally kissing ladies' knuckles, determined to not disgrace Pepper in public.

He noticed the speculative glances directed at him by the well-dressed men in the room, and the admiring looks of the attractive women. It was almost like being back in Asgard...

It was all going to plan, yet Pepper did not seem to be enjoying herself. Loki wondered if it was his presence that rattled her so much, or if she simply missed Tony's company on her birthday. He saw someone circulating through the room, and had an idea.

Pepper chatted with some familiar faces, wealthy businessmen and socialite wives, and with a thrill of alarm realised that Loki was no longer at her side.

Her first thought was that he'd escaped; she'd loosed him to cause untold harm on these people. Her heart began to pound in her chest and she frantically scanned the room for any sign of him.

She gave a started gasp as he suddenly reappeared at her elbow. He raised his eyebrows and handed her a glass of champagne. Pepper sighed, and gratefully took the glass, downing half of it in one gulp.

Three glasses of champagne later, and pepper was starting to relax.

The crowd began to move into the concert hall, and Pepper haltingly allowed Loki to catch her hand and tuck it into the crook of his elbow as he escorted her to their seats.

...

It was, without question, the most tedious thing he'd ever been subjected to, and Loki cursed Tony Stark into oblivion. Now he knew why he'd been volunteered to attend in Tony's place.

Sitting through this Wagner opera was punishment, pure and simple. Tony had told him the story was classic and easy to follow. Tony had failed to mention that the whole thing was performed in screeching, bellowing song form.

Pepper, on the other hand, was totally engrossed in the proceedings. She sat leaning forward slightly, watching the massive stage with rapt attention, and seemed to have no trouble understanding either the obtuse song-language or plodding story.

Observing her was considerably more interesting than the spectacle unfolding on the stage. Her breathing was deep and steady, though occasionally, when something dramatic happened on stage, it would hitch, or she would hold her breath, and then let it out with a tiny, contented sigh.

Her delicate hands were folded in her lap, but occasionally she would clench them into fists, and her shoulders would tighten with excitement as she sat up straighter.

Loki had a hard time not laughing at this reaction from her. It was quite endearing. He imagined she could be very spirited, and understood how that might appeal to someone like Stark, who was so used to charming everyone outright with his personality and money.

She was wearing a one-shoulder satin gown in a shade of deep green that he personally favoured. He was glad he hadn't mentioned that to her when he'd complimented her before, though the thought of how she might have reacted made him smile.

She glanced over at him, saw him smiling, and smiled back, obviously thinking he was enjoying the opera. Even in the low light he could see how the colour of the gown complimented her complexion and made her eyes brighter.

Suddenly the crowd erupted in applause. Pepper leapt to her feet and clapped passionately. Loki sighed, and stood, and joined in on the clapping.

He was so glad it was over he wanted to groan with relief. Slowly the applause died down, and Pepper turned to him, pink cheeked and eyes shining.

"You're enjoying it?" she asked.

"_Simply marvellous_" he typed.

She looked pleased. "Aren't the costumes wonderful? And the music is so rich!" She sighed contentedly. "Well...intermission is twenty minutes, shall we get some refreshments?" she asked.

"_Intermission_?" he typed, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Yes. The opera is in three acts. That was act one."

Loki tried to not look stricken. He nodded as though he knew all of that, and was totally prepared to endure another three hours. He put on a brave face "_Of course_."

As they left the concert hall he made a bee-line for the champagne.

…

_It had to be over soon_ Loki told himself. He sat back in his chair and allowed himself to go into a light doze.

Next to him, Pepper was so enraptured that she didn't notice. Though heavy lidded eyes he watched her swipe at tears that rolled down her cheeks.

Emotions rolled off her in waves, and Loki could feel everything she was feeling; heartache, sadness, bitter-sweet joy. The sensations washed over him just as sharply as though they were his own...

He blinked hard, confused by the feeling, and came back to himself, sitting up straighter in his seat.

Pepper glanced at him, seeing the dazed look on his face, and the way his brows were drawn together. She thought he was reacting to the story. "Isn't it heartbreaking?" she breathed.

Loki looked at her, stunned, and nodded vaguely. She gave him a watery smile and turned back to the stage.

Loki was stunned He'd always been excellent at sensing other people, Thor especially, but never to this extent, and not since he'd be damned to this infernal realm.

Those feelings had very definitely not been his.

He pushed out a breath and relaxed back, reaching for some sense of her again. Something was there at the edge of his awareness, but it didn't come to him as strongly. He felt a buzz of anticipation; perhaps he wasn't as _powerless_ as everyone thought.

When the opera ended and the crowd burst into loud applause, Loki stood, clapping as he took in the electric atmosphere of the crowd.

He closed his eyes, once again Pepper's emotions surged, and he could feel her almost as clearly as he could see her.

He opened his eyes and Pepper was looking at him curiously. He smiled slightly and nodded, feeling a strange sense of gratitude to the woman, and for some reason he couldn't quite comprehend, a wave of relief washed over her.

His smile increased at the feeling.

… … … …

_Author's notes: I decided a while back that although Loki is bound by Asgardian magic, and essentially just like a regular person while on Earth, I didn't want him to be completely powerless... I wanted him to discover over time that he still had certain powers. I went with _empathy _because I felt it complimented his silence, and being able to sense how others feel would be very confronting...it's going to come into play quite seriously in the next few chapters. You might think it's a bit random for him to suddenly develop this, but if you've been paying attention to the past few chapters, I've been hinting at it! Anyway, _Happy Hallowe'en_, and if you're on the east coast of the US, I hope you're safe and well._

_Follow me on Twitter and Pinterest: _**Bombshell1701**


	7. Tumbling Down

**Notes From a Royal Screw-up**

**Chapter Seven**

Loki found it easier to get an emotional read on some of the team than others.

He had always been a keen and hard-working student, and the discovery of this latent talent had all but consumed him. He went from mostly wanting to be left alone in his apartment, to wanting constantly to be around the others, simply so he could practice.

He would focus for hours on end, breathing and relaxing, going deeper into his own senses, until his head pounded and his eyes just ached from the strain he was putting on his mind.

The harder he practised, the worse his sleep got. The more confused and terrifyingly vivid his dreams became. Every night he revisited the horror of having his mouth sewn up. And every night it was as agonising, yet more horrifying.

He awoke with searing pain in his face, and would gasp for breath. But the more exhausted he was, the easier it was to reach out past his own natural mental defences and take the others' emotional temperatures.

…

Thor wore everything very close to the skin. Amusement, happiness, anger, frustration; Loki felt them very clearly from his brother. Reading Thor was at times almost too easy. And often very tedious.

"Brother! A wonderful thing has happened" Thor told him one morning. Loki could feel passionate happiness radiate from the thunderer. "This weekend I will finally see my beloved Jane Foster again! Tony is flying her to New York to visit me!"

"S_o, she's finally speaking to you again?_" Loki wrote, trying not to smile.

Thor's good mood wavered for a moment. "Yes. She spent some time yelling at me for not contacting her sooner. She was quite upset she found out from informational broadcasts that I was back on Midgard- she feels I should have told her myself. And she is correct;

but then I explained the difficulty of the past few months, and how I am sworn to protect this realm... and eventually she came around. She says she has missed me terribly, and is looking forward to seeing me."

Loki wanted to roll his eyes, but the beaming grin on Thor's face made him pause. "_That's lovely. I'm sure you will both have a magnificent time_" Loki typed.

Thor stood, and seemed to be thinking hard. "I must away to my sleeping chamber, it will have to be prepared for a night of great passion! Only the finest silk sheets will be good enough to caress Jane's beautiful skin. And we must have wine and delicacies to refresh us after our lovemaking!"

Loki groaned and fled to another room to escape the heady emotions that Thor was projecting.

He was going to have to find somewhere else to stay for a while...

...

Bruce Banner was equal measures of interesting and terrifying to feel out.

He was a very loud broadcaster. Apparently the scientist's secret was that he was angry all the time, and Loki _got_ that. Bruce's rage and frustration were ever-present, and being around the man for more than a few minutes at a time was exhausting at first.

Once Loki got past the flood of controlled chaos beneath the surface of Bruce's mind, he began to feel the other emotions that counter-balanced the rage. Intense curiosity as the man was working; appreciation for his team-mates, Tony in particular, for their acceptance; resignation at what his life had become; and something warmly bitter-sweet that fleetingly flooded Bruce from time to time- a memory, Loki decided, wondering what the scientist was thinking about.

"_Do you have a sweetheart?_" Loki asked the man one day.

Bruce smiled slightly when he read the note. "Uhh, well... it's complicated? Isn't that what the kids say these days?"

Loki gave him a questioning look.

"Never mind" Bruce said, shaking his head. He thought for a moment before speaking again. "It's hard to maintain a relationship when you occasionally turn into nine-hundred pounds of green, seething anger..."

Loki nodded. "_But there _was _someone...?_"

"Yeah, there was someone."

Loki felt the ache and longing and fondness sweep through the man as he remembered his long-lost love.

"_You didn't step on her or something, did you?_" Loki wrote.

Bruce laughed lightly. "Wow, you're tactful. No... I didn't step on her. But I did accidentally hurt her once. And then I almost hurt her a second time. Suffice it to say, her father no longer approves of me" he said with a tiny, wry smile.

Loki pondered this for a moment. "_I'm sorry to hear that_" he wrote, trying for sincerity.

Bruce smiled sadly. "Yeah. So am I, trust me."

...

Steve seemed palpably preoccupied almost all the time to Loki. Loki would only get a sense of him from time to time, but it was a disorienting feeling. So Loki did his best to avoid Captain Confusion.

And then one morning, Loki could sense guilt rolling off Steve. He was intrigued. What could perfect Captain Rogers have to feel guilty about?

He filed that thought away, until later in the day when Steve was coming in from lunch. The guilt was still there, stronger than before, co-mingling with something else... happiness? No, it wasn't that simple. It wasn't contentedness. It was a complicated sort of tenderness. Loki was mulling this over as Steve and his brother conversed.

"How fares our new team-mate?" Thor asked cheerfully.

"Carol's fine. She'll be training with us tomorrow morning" Steve said.

"I will be careful not to break her on her first day" Thor said with a grin.

"Ha. Yeah, I think she's probably tougher than she looks"Steve said, grinning back.

Ah, so this was the source of the guilt _and_ the pleasure. Loki smirked. Well, what a strange turn of events.

He typed out a message on his Starkjotter and handed it to Steve. "_I did not realise you had a girl friend._"

"What?" Steve asked, frowning.

"_Your new team mate? Are you not romantically involved with her?_"

Loki struggled to keep his face neutral as he took in the waves of emotion that Steve broadcast. Confusion... guilt... and back to confusion.

"I'm not involved with Captain Danvers" Steve said mildly. "She's a colleague, that's all"

Loki raised his eyebrows and looked knowingly at Thor.

"Loki, stop making trouble" Thor warned.

"_I'm sorry. I thought your feelings were quite obvious. What's the saying- you wear your heart on your sleeve?_"

"My heart- what? I don't have feelings. I don't!" Steve insisted, turning pink.

The soldier was really running the gamut, now. Loki was struggling to keep up: guilt- confusion- guilt- denial- guilt- creeping realisation- guilt- denial, guilt- confusion. It was like a small emotional explosion.

Thor fixed his team-mate with a considering look.

"It's not like that. What is wrong with you?" Steve said, now just really irritated.

Loki shook his head, the picture of innocence.

Thor's considering look had turned to one of concern. "Friend Steven, if you harbour tender feeling for this woman, you should not be afraid of them. You should embrace them!" Thor enthused.

Steve's eye narrowed. He looked deeply unimpressed. Loki wanted to laugh with delight at his mischief.

"Oh, no. We are not having this conversation. Carol is a team mate- that's it."

"And she is also an intelligent, attractive-"

"Thor!" Steve interjected. "I forbid you to mention this to anyone. That's an order!" Steve said. He rounded on Loki "And you! Mind your own business!"

Loki smiled pleasantly and walked off.

His work here was done.

...

Loki thought Tony would be easy to gauge, but he was surprised by how contained the billionaire was. Given the man's spontaneous, generous, and frequently immature nature, Loki was certain he'd be as transparent as Thor.

Loki decided that Tony was emotionally underdeveloped in some way.

He would only get the occasional surge of focused excitement when Tony would have an idea, or the occasional burst of mirth when Tony made a particularly sarcastic comment.

Unless he was with Pepper. Then he practically lit up.

Loki found the interplay of emotions from the two amusing and disgustingly sentimental at times. Pepper was often frustrated and exasperated by Tony, but underneath it was the unmissable sense of admiration and affection.

And Tony could appear to be completed distracted and not listening to Pepper at all, but Loki knew better. He could feel the man's love and trust and something else, which he finally identified as gratitude.

He liked to be around them because the complexity of their emotional interactions tested his limits.

And something about the way Stark could set off such strong emotions in the woman was almost soothing at times. Better still was overhearing some of their actual conversations.

If Pepper was trying to make Tony do something he didn't want to do (such as go to shareholder meetings or industry forums) Tony would evade and wheedle and refuse to play; Pepper would stand her ground, arguing, reasoning and rebuffing.

Sometimes the conversation would flare up into an actual fight, and Pepper would turn on here heel to stalk off, only to be stopped and talked down by Tony, who would then grudgingly agree to Pepper's terms in order to appease her.

And then, sometimes, they would kiss and make up, and forget he was there, and Loki would have to leave the room very quickly.

… …

Loki was halfway through his second set of reps before he realised Agent Romanoff was standing just out of sight. He managed to not startle, ignored her and finished his set before setting the barbell back in the cradle.

It was the first time he'd seen her since he'd been moved into Stark Tower, and as he rested on the bench, he wondered if this was it- if she'd come to exact her own special kind of revenge upon him. He couldn't get any sort of read on her. That made him very, very wary.

He sat up slowly and regarded her. She looked at him speculatively. "You managed to stay pretty strong, considering you're supposed to be a mere mortal now" she said casually. She stepped closer and noted the weights on the end of the barbell. "You don't look particularly strong."

Loki shrugged, and took up the Starkjotter. "_I may not have Thor's bulk or axe-handle shoulders, but I'm wiry_" he typed with a smirk.

"Like a snake" she muttered. "I'm surprised gods, even fallen ones, would need to work out."

"_Thor believes I will become stout if I continue to eat your strange Midgardian food and do not exercise._"

"Yep. That's pretty much how it goes" Natasha told him. She turned her back and made to leave, but stopped and spoke to him over her shoulder. "You probably shouldn't work out down here by yourself. Especially so late at night. You could have any sort of accident. Drop a barbel on your throat... knock over a weight stack and get pinned. It's _dangerous _around here" she said casually.

And then Loki felt it, the stab of menace. She let down her emotional barriers just enough for Loki to feel the genuine threat behind her words. It was almost as though she knew he could feel what she was feeling.

"Have a good night's sleep" she added, twisting the emotional knife just a little more, before slipping out of the room.

…

_The needle pierced his skin. He tensed his body, trying to block out the pain. It bit into him again, the thread burning hot as it passed into the tender flesh of his mouth. He wanted to close his eyes but he could not. _

_He looked up at the wielder of the needle, and Agent Coulson stared back at him with cold, dead eyes. But the man was _not_ dead, and he brought his hand down again, pushing the needle through Loki's bottom lip. _

_Loki twitched, his senses screaming. Agent Coulson was methodical, he took his time at his task, and never once did his expression waver. Loki stared up at him, tears of agony welling in his eyes, but Coulson sewed on with calm oblivion._

Loki awoke, sweat-soaked, heart hammering in his chest. His lips burned with agony, and he grabbed at the water bottle on his night stand; but no amount of water he gulped down extinguished the burning pain him his face and throat.

At that moment he wish desperately that Frigga were there to comfort him, as she always had when as a child and he was woken by a nightmare.

For a fleeting moment he considered going to Thor. He had not done that since he was a very small child; his older brother would grudgingly allow him to clamber up next to him in bed, and would tell him funny stories until he fell asleep again.

He barely slept again that night, unable to shake the feeling that something bad was coming. He awoke feeling brittle and restless, pushed to the point where he could hardly focus anymore, and when he did, all he seemed to be able to read were negative feelings.

Pepper, who had started out wary of him, seemed to have come to a grudging acceptance of him; until one day she suddenly became almost hostile.

He felt her rage flare as he walked into Tony's lab one morning, and he almost flinched from the unexpected power of it. Almost immediately the sensation diminished, folding in on itself into a deep sadness.

Loki glanced at Pepper; she was pale and looked as though she had been crying. She gave him a filthy look and stalked off out of the lab, leaving Loki alone with Tony.

He gave Tony a questioning look, and all he received in return was a glare and a feeling of bitter resentment.

"_What have I done now?_" Loki wrote.

Tony let out a breath, and he frowned. The look he gave Loki was not at all teasing. He tapped his fingers against his desk, seeming to have some sort of internal debate.

"Today would have been Phil Coulson's birthday. Pepper had a reminder in her electronic planner, and forgot to take it out... so when she saw it this morning, it upset her. Oh, but you probably don't know who Phil Coulson was..."

"I know who he is" Loki wrote.

"_Was_" Tony said coldly. "He's one of the people you killed, yeah, so he's _past tense _now."

Loki swallowed. So they still didn't know that Agent Coulson was alive. It struck him as very strange. He thought hard for a moment while Tony stared impassively at him. Finally, Tony gave up, and dismissed him with a frustrated wave of his hand.

…

Loki walked into the kitchen of his apartment, and was surprised to see Pepper standing in front of the refrigerator.

She had her back to him, and for a moment he contemplated backing out of the room and leaving her alone. Before he could move, she glanced around, saw him, and froze.

They stared at each other for a moment. Hostility radiated from her. For a moment he was glad he had been rendered mute, as he had absolutely no idea what to say.

"I just came to get these" Pepper said coolly, brandishing a bag of peanut butter chips at Loki. "I have to stash them down here, or Tony eats them compulsively while he invents. And they're not good for his cholesterol."

Loki nodded slowly. Pepper fixed him with a cold, furious look and very slowly, began walking toward him. Loki stood his ground, not sure what to expect.

"I'm baking a cake" Pepper said, still staring at him. "For a friend's birthday." She continued moving towards him, proceeded by her anger and grief. "Only... my friend won't get to eat this cake..." she said. Her voice was strong and flat, and the way she looked through him made him want to shudder with discomfort.

Her despair was wrapped around her like a cloak. It was so thick Loki thought for a moment he might choke on it. She continued to stare at him, and then quite suddenly broke off, and fled the room.

Loki let out the breath he hadn't realised he was holding.

… …

Loki stayed in his room the next day, working on his emotional shields. He didn't regret expanding his sensitivity to the others, but he was starting to wonder if he'd pushed himself too hard, too fast.

His awareness was such that he couldn't simply switch it off, nor did he wish too: it was a good defence mechanism, and that was something he needed in lieu of his usual powers. It was better than nothing.

So he made up his mind to speak with Tony. He knew it wouldn't change a damn thing; but perhaps it would get them all off his back just a little.

And he knew it would make a difference to Pepper. For some reason, one he could not understand, it bothered him that she hated him again. He was annoyed with himself that he cared what she thought.

Eventually he decided that he had no real grievance with Pepper, she'd never been anything but courteous to him, up to their run-in in the kitchen; and he'd been raised with enough grace to want to extend a certain level courtesy in return to her.

He found Tony at work in lab. It was about five am, and Tony looked like he hadn't slept, either.

The genius pointedly ignored him for several minutes, and finally, with a sigh, Loki thrust the Starkjotter into the hands of it's inventor. "_I have something I need to tell you._"

"Are you pregnant with a eight-legged foal?" Tony said quietly.

Loki looked at him like he was mad. He snatched the jotter back.

"_This is serious. I need you to pay attention. And I need you to believe what I'm telling you._"

Tony read the note, the corners of his mouth turning down. He tossed the jotter back to Loki. "Really?" he said, the single word dripping with sarcasm.

Loki sighed again. "_Agent Coulson is alive_."

Tony read the note and then looked away, face blank. Loki stared intently at him. Tony stood up, and looked at the note again, and then turned to face Loki.

Tony's face was blank, but the waves of shock and rage were so strong that Loki nearly took a step back. Tony moved suddenly towards Loki, so powerfully angry that Loki thought the man was going to hit him.

Tony stopped, practically chest to chest with the fallen god, staring hard at him. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked in a dangerously low voice.

Loki swallowed gently, and reached for the jotter.

"_He is alive. I am not trying to trick or deceive you. I do not know why you were not informed, but I have seen the Agent with my own eyes, and have spoken with him. He is unwell, but alive._"

Tony gave off a frenzy of emotions as he continued to stare, deeply unimpressed, at Loki.

"Well, I guess you've got a shitty stabbing arm" Tony said finally. He broke off and threw himself back down into his chair, turning back to the drafting work he'd been pondering, silently dismissing Loki.

He pulled up 3D-rendered holograms and began casually flicking through them, but Loki could see the man's eyes were not focused, and emotions continued to jumble around inside Stark's head.

"Get out of my lab" Tony said quietly, not looking at Loki.

_You're welcome_ Loki thought, stalking from the lab.

… … … …

_Author's notes: Myth Queen wanted to know a little more about what was going on inside Loki's own head when he got his mouth sewn shut- pain, fear, confusion and rage. In such a way that now whenever he dwells on these emotions, the memories come back to him as bad dreams. If you're starting to see a downwards spiral, you wouldn't be far off the mark. And it's not just Loki...!_

_And to see what happens when the whole team learn about Coulson's continued existence, keep an eye out for the next chapter of the companion series _Vicissitude_, because that's where that is going to happen!_

_Oh also, 'axe-handle shoulders' is a really archaic term to mean broad shoulders. It might actually just me an Australian expression... sorry. I like how is sounds._


	8. Exposed

**Notes From a Royal Screw-up**

**Chapter Eight, Part One**

Loki had very mixed feelings as he stepped into the classroom. He was relieved to get out of Stark Tower for a few hours, but he was ambivalent about Captain Roger's so-called brilliant idea of getting him work as an artists' model.

He looked around the classroom. A dozen of so students, of various ages and pedigree were setting up drawing easels in a loose semi-circle around a slightly-raised platform. On the platform was a chaise lounge draped in a clean, white sheet; and a straight-backed wooden chair.

Loki shrugged, stepped up to the platform, and began to cast off his clothing. He loosely folded his garments and tossed them onto the floor to the side of the platform and turned to face the students.

Every single one of them had stopped what they were doing and were staring at him. He could feel a mix of reactions; some of them were openly shocked, some impressed, some amused.

He put his hands on his hips and cowed them with a well-practiced imperious look.

A man at the back of the room, the teacher, cleared his throat and hurried toward Loki. He seemed chagrined and resigned at the same time.

"Joe, hi... thank you for joining us" the teacher said. "Uh, I'm sorry, I didn't get a chance to explain the process to you before you, uh... _began_" he said with a nervous chuckle. "Usually you would undress in the wash room, and put on a robe, and when the students are all set up, you would take your place here and slip your robe off. We like to keep things...uh... classy... Don't want you to feel like it's a strip show or something" he said apologetically.

"Ah" Loki intoned.

"Yes, but, well, never mind. Next time..."

Loki nodded.

"So, well... we may as well get started. Any questions? Do you want a glass of water?" the teacher asked.

Loki shook his head.

"Okay" He clapped his hands and turned to his students. "We'll start with some quick three-minute pencil studies." He turned back to Loki. "All right, let's see if you can inspire some works of art."

...

Loki had thought the posing would become tedious very quickly, but he was pleasantly surprised. Finding different ways to position himself each time was surprisingly challenging; he wanted each pose to be unique, so before a pose was finished he was already thinking up the next one.

The real challenge was finding ways to sit that were interesting but not vulgar. He had very little modesty, tremendous confidence, and he knew that by human standards his physique was considered aesthetically pleasing; but that didn't mean he wanted to display himself like a platter of meat- what would his mother think?

But as the class progressed, his natural mischievous streak was threatening to assert itself. Most of the students regarded him with calm professionalism and a generalised sort of admiration; but as he relaxed into the longer poses of the session, he began sensing a shift in some of their feelings.

Curiosity and attraction were blossoming and being stifled. He couldn't quite get a fix on whose artistic detachment was failing, but there was more than one student looking at him with something more than just a critical eye.

He moved into the last pose for the session. He knew he'd need to hold still for twenty minutes, so he decided he may as well be comfortable. Smothering a smirk, he climbed onto the chase lounge and arranged himself into a very fetching and ever-so-slightly provocative pose. Emotional temperatures rose. Loki smiled.

This was going to be fun. He was going to teach these lusty mortals a thing or two, and he wasn't even the teacher.

… … …

Over the next few weeks Loki got into a little routine. It was bland and mind-numbingly human, but it was the only time he was allowed out unaccompanied (though he was always escorted there and promptly picked up by Captain Rogers or one of Stark's minions.)

After his undressing gaffe at the first class he'd acquired a robe (taken from Captain Modesty, who had declined its return after he'd learned that Loki had worn it while naked underneath.) Though after a few classes, Loki was smugly confident that more that one of the students would be happy to see him remove his clothes in an entirely different sort of educational context.

He spent the next few classes pondering this, and as his empathic awareness grew over time, he began sneaking glimpses into the hearts of these mortals.

...

It had become customary, at the end of a lesson, for Loki to look over the sketches which had been made of him. Some of the students were tremendously talented, and he enjoyed seeing himself through their eyes.

While they packed up he would slip into the teacher's office and re-dress, and by the time he was done, someone would be waiting to pick him up and take him back to the stuffy, oppressive confines of Stark Tower.

And then one day, he had a change of plans. No one had shown up to fetch him. He knew there was something happening at the Tower that afternoon that he wasn't to be included in; Tony and Steve had eagerly delivered him to the school that day- both of them giving off clear feelings of anxiety and hope.

Loki himself was so tense at this point it was uncomfortable to be around them. Obviously they'd got caught up in their little schemes and had forgotten all about him. Oh dear...

He wasn't entirely sure what to do, and for about three seconds he considered waiting outside the classroom for someone to show up. Then he decided he would simply make his own way home- it was only a few blocks, and pleasant weather for a turn through the city. And it would be so nice to delay his return to the Tower, where dark thoughts and anxious feelings seemed to plague him all the time now.

And then a much, much better plan presented itself.

"We're going for a drink. Want to join us?" One of the students asked. She stood with two of the others from the class. All of them were youngish, and acceptably attractive- for humans, at least; and he knew for a fact that two of them felt quite lusty whenever they set eyes on him. It wasn't the best offer he'd ever had for a diversion, but it was better than the alternative.

And sitting in a tavern with people who didn't really know who he was, didn't hold grudges against him, didn't hate him on sight... that was acceptable. Midgardian drink paled in comparison to Asgardian ales, but there were other beverage he could sample. And it would do his ego such benefit to be fawned over by these young mortals.

He smiled slowly. Yes, this was much better than going straight home as per usual.

…

"Did you send someone to pick up Loki?" Steve asked.

"Nope. It's Thursday. Thursday is your day to pick up the brat" Tony answered, distracted.

"Well, he's not here. I was running a bit late because of the traffic, but I sent him a message."

"Did you look inside the classroom?" Tony asked.

"The building is closed up. Everyone has left for the day. He's not answering his phone."

"Well, if he's wandering around the city he might not be able to hear it. I'll run a trace on the SIM and let you know where he's lurking" Tony rang off.

"JARVIS, please locate Loki's Starkphone" Tony asked the A.I.

"That phone is within Stark Tower, in Loki's private quarters" JARVIS responded.

"Home again, home again" Tony muttered. "Patch me though to the intercom down there. He needs his memory refreshed about leaving the Tower unsupervised."

The A.I. beeped. "There is no answer."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Locate Loki for me."

"Loki is not currently in the building."

"Did he come in and go out again?" Tony asked, annoyed.

"Loki has not been registered in the building since he left at sixteen-hundred hours this afternoon."

"Oh, crap" Tony groaned. "Dial Rogers."

"Do you know where he is?" Steve answered, quite correctly sounding concerned.

"Yeah. Loose in the city without his phone" Tony said, annoyed.

"But... well... he can't have gone too far. Maybe he's making his own way home..." Steve said uncertainly.

"Sure. Or maybe he's about to hold up a hot-dog stand for kicks. Or bust every toy in FAO Schwartz. Or take a bath in the fountain outside the UN building" Tony slung back.

"Isn't there any way to trace him? Please tell my Fury planted a tracker on him" Steve asked.

"There was no way to do it without the sneaky little bastard knowing" Tony sighed.

There was a tense silence that stretched on for a moment.

"Oh, hell" Steve breathed. "We've lost the Norse god of mischief in New York City."

… … ...

"I'm sorry to interrupt, sir, but you wanted me to notify you when Loki arrived back in the building" JARVIS said. "He is currently en route to his apartment."

Steve and Tony looked at each other, and both sighed with relief.

"I say we get Bruce to Hulk-out and then send him down to deliver the lecture" Tony said.

Steve contemplated that for a moment. "That would be effective, but I don't think Hulk would fit into the elevator car."

"He could take the stairs."

Steve shook his head. "Nah. Unfortunately, this one is up to me."

"He's not scared of you. He won't heed what you say."

"He's not scared of either of us" Steve said, rolling his eyes. He sighed, annoyed. "Should I suit up? You know, make it an official rebuke?"

"Definitely not. He takes you even less seriously when you wear your bulletproof girdle"

"Shut up, Tony" Steve muttered, stalking out of the room to deliver his lecture about wandering off to Loki.

…

Steve stepped into the apartment that Loki shared with Thor. He opened his mouth to start barking rebukes when he heard the strange noise.

He stopped, listening hard. He heard it again, a sound like an injured animal whimpering in terror, followed by several thumps. Steve's battle-hardened senses went into overdrive, and he stalked cautiously and soundlessly towards the source of the noise.

It was coming from Loki's bedroom. There was a long, low moan, and a thrashing sound, as though the furnishings of the room were being thrown around. Steve rushed to the bedroom door; Loki might not be a friend, but he was under attack and could not even cry out for help.

Steve seized the doorknob, but the door was locked. It was a sturdy door, and he rattled the handle, trying to force it open. It would not give, so Steve stepped back, raised his knee to his chest and was about to kick the door in-

He heard a woman laugh on the other side of the door, a deep, lustful sound of pleasure. And then more moaning and thumping.

Steve stopped where he was- one leg still drawn back to kick, hands drawn up to his face in a defensive posture. He listened hard.

There was more moaning, and it was definitely being made by two people.

Steve's eye went wide as he realised what he'd almost burst in on. He dropped his leg and hurried out of the apartment, face burning.

The lecture could wait.

… … …

Steve went down to Loki's apartment again the next morning, but by ten am. The troublesome prince still hadn't emerged from his den of inequity.

Steve quietly fumed as he brewed himself a pot of coffee and helped himself to Thor's stash of Pop Tarts.

"Are you making coffee?" a female voice asked from behind him.

Steve nearly jumped out of his skin, and he whipped around to face her. "Who are you?" he practically yelled at her.

She rubbed a hand though her tousled auburn hair. "Cindy. I'm a... _friend_... of Joe's" she said, smirking knowingly.

"Right" Steve said. He suddenly realised she was wearing the shirt that Loki had gone out in yesterday. And nothing else. He averted his eyes.

"You must be Rogers" she said. "Joe told me about you."

"Great" Steve muttered. He could just imagine.

"He said I should avoid you, as you'd most likely give me a lecture. And you'd only give me a _lecture_ because you were too uptight to give me a spanking" she said with a hint of a smile.

Steve's mouth dropped open. Cindy reached over and took the cup of freshly brewed coffee from Steve's hand.

"Thanks for the coffee" she said with a smile, and then wandered out of the kitchen.

…

"What were you thinking?" Steve demanded.

Loki simply looked bored. He idly tapped out a message on his jotter "_I was thinking how frustrated I was becoming, and how refreshing it would be to couple and find release._ "

Steve looked like he was going to have a stroke. He pushed out an angry breath. Loki couldn't help but smirk at the seething discomfort rolling off the blonde man.

"But... you don't even really know her!" Steve stammered.

Loki shrugged one shoulder. "_She did not seem to have any sort of problem with that- and before you _IMPLY _anything, I did not coerce her into having relations with me. She was very, very willing_" Loki smirked.

"No. What I meant was... you bought a total stranger in to Stark Tower. That's a huge security risk. Not to mention that you risked exposing yourself-"

Loki chuckled "_I did more than _expose_ myself_-" he began to type.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Steve cried, flushing. "Stop being so salacious. You risk exposing your actual identity when you behave recklessly."

"_Part of my ingenious back-story created by my dear friends at SHIELD is that I am a family friend of the Starks... I stuck quite loyally to the story, so bringing a friend to the Tower should not arouse any suspicion at all. As for myself, I'm surprisingly good at blending in when I need to..._"

"Yeah, right" Steve said scornfully. He paced angrily. "Please tell me you were at least smart enough to practice safe sex."

Loki looked at him blankly "_I cleared all the sharp objects off the dresser before we rutted on it-_" Loki began to type, basking in Steve's embarrassment.

"No!" Steve cried. "That is not what I meant! I know for a fact that in the acclimation documents you and Thor received, there was a unit on... safe sex and infections and... condoms" Steve practically hissed. "And I know this, because I got the same information packet when I woke up and had to get used to the twenty-first century! I hope you applied that information-"

"RELAX,_ Captain" Loki typed. "She was armed with prophylactics, which I made a point of using_."

"Good" Steve sighed.

Loki looked at him archly "_Next time I bring someone back with me, I'll see if she has a friend- you could really do with some coupling and release, yourself. It might help you unwind a little_-"

"Mind your own business" Steve muttered, blushing hard.

"_Really, Captain, we are_ friends. _Perhaps instead I can offer you some advice_-"

"Loki-"

"-_On how to seduce that lovely peach, Carol Danvers. She's not really my type, too conventional, but if you_-"

"Shut. Up" Steve said crisply. He turned to stalk off, taking his humiliation with him. "And you are, under no circumstances, to go wandering off alone, or bring anyone home with you again."

Steve did not see the way Loki's eyebrows rose defiantly.

_To Be Continued..._

… … … …

_Author's notes: I am _**SO**_ sorry it's taken me this long to update. Thank you so much for your patience and encouragement (looks at _MythQueen_.) Real life has been very... real... lately, and it has sapped both my time and my writing mojo. What I've done here is posted the first part of this chapter- the story had gotten long enough to justify it, and it also gave me a chance to not only assuage my conscience a little by actually updating, but also I wanted to let followers know that yes, I am still alive, and still writing. It also allows me to delay the next part... it's mostly finished but I'm having trouble with an important scene. So part two to this chapter may not go up for a week or so. In the interim, if you follow me on Twitter- Bombshell1701 -you'll get real time updates of what's going on with me, so you know how my writing is progressing... Thanks again for reading. _


	9. Ennui

**Notes From a Royal Screw-Up**

**Chapter Eight, Part Two**

It was less than a week before an opportunity to go AWOL again presented itself to Loki.

Of course, it meant having a battle via text message with poor virginal Captain America...

"WHERE ARE YOU?"

"_At a bar, not too far from the college_"

"WHY ARE YOU AT A BAR?"

"_Class was cancelled, as the teacher took ill_."

"YOU SHOULD HAVE CALLED ME TO COME AND GET YOU."

"_The students invited me to go drinking with them, I suppose I got caught up in their excitement. They certainly do enjoy alcoholic beverages, and I cannot say I blame them_."

"THAT'S NO EXCUSE! DARN IT, LOKI, WE JUST TALKED ABOUT THIS!"

"_It must have slipped my mind. And why do you keep typing in upper case? Are you supposed to be shouting at me_?"

"YES! Get your butt back to Stark Tower NOW."

"_No, thank you. I'm enjoying myself. These are simple people, they do not tax me, and I find that relaxing. Plus, Aquavit helps, although it tastes foul._"

"I just got Tony to track down your phone. I will be there to pick you up in ten minutes. Wait for me out the front so I don't have to crawl through crowds of people to find you."

"_Captain, what does the phrase "Your place or mine?" mean exactly?_"

"Wait, what?"

"_Never mind, I'll ask Stark. I think it's more his area of expertise. You don't have to pick me up, Captain. I am making my own way back to the Tower now. I should be there in the next ten minutes. You can check up on me, if you like, once I'm back, but if you want to preserve your modesty, you probably shouldn't come down to the apartment for the next ten or so hours_."

"WHAT? NO!"

"_Most definitely yes. You're welcome to join, I suppose._"

"You and I are going to have words tomorrow."

"_I look forward to it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have my hands full at the moment. Quite literally._"

… … …

_The next day..._

"Get your butt out of bed, I'm coming down there to talk to you in five minutes"

"_Fine_"

...

"Are you Joe's house-mate? Sorry if we bothered you last night, with the... uh...noise, and..." Loki's latest conquest had appeared from the bedroom, wrapped modestly in a sheet. She had long ginger hair and a slim frame, and seemed vaguely familiar, though Steve was fairly sure she wasn't the same woman Loki had brought home the last time.

Steve sighed internally and kept his eyes averted.

"I live upstairs, I just need to speak with him."

"Well, that's gonna get tricky, seeing as he can't-" she gestured to her throat.

"I know" Steve said flatly. That got him to thinking. "So, are you in the art class Joe is working for?"

"Uh, no. He came in to the bar with some of them, I guess; we just met there."

Steve puzzled over this. "So, you only knew him for a couple of hours before you... uh... came back here with him?"

The woman raised her eyebrows and looked unimpressed. "Does that make me a slut?"

"No! I didn't mean-" Steve cried.

"That's right" she retorted.

"Good morning, gorgeous" a male voice said, and Steve looked up, his brow furrowing. A man he'd never seen before came wandering into the kitchen, wearing only a pair of boxer briefs. He dropped a brief kiss on the woman's forehead.

"Hey, sexy" the woman said with a grin.

The strange man suddenly noticed Steve. "Oh, hi" he said, an embarrassed smile appearing on his handsome face. "You must be Joe's brother. Sorry about the noise last night, we got a little-"

Steve held up a hand to stop the conversation "It's fine. Not Joe's brother, live upstairs, don't need to know."

"That was a hell of a thing" the man said with a sigh, grinning at the woman as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He offered the pot to Steve, who silently and thankfully accepted a refill.

Loki wandered into the room, caught Steve's eye, stopped in the doorway to stretch languidly, idly clutching a sheet around his hips, a sly grin on his face the entire time. He pulled a small whiteboard off the fridge and wrote.

"_Good morning. Captain. You wanted to speak to me?_" He tossed the whiteboard to Steve, and then leaned in to greet the woman with a slow and quite passionate kiss. Steve swallowed nervously, suddenly fascinated with the floor tiles.

"And what about me?" the strange man said, drifting over to Loki to get a kiss of his own. Loki grinned and obliged him.

Steve wasn't even watching the exchange, but he knew his eyes were wide, and he could feel the beginnings of a raging blush starting on his neck.

"Tony. Tony needs to talk to you. About... last night" Steve muttered, still looking at the floor. "Not _this_ last night" he muttered, gesturing wildly at Loki's two guests. "Just... go see him. Later. After your guests leave." He stood abruptly and stalked from the room.

"It was nice meeting you" the man called after him.

…

Tony looked impressed. "Do you think he was bisexual before he came to Midgard, or if he was giving it a try last night? Ha! I bet he's try-sexual... will _try_ anything _sexual_" he said, winking at Bruce.

Bruce smirked and shook his head.

"You aren't taking this seriously!" Steve groused.

"I honestly don't know what you expect me to say" Tony said with a shrug.

"He's bringing total strangers home. Don't you think that's a risk?"

"He's had the safe sex lecture" Tony said casually.

Steve looked at the dark-haired man like he was a moron. "A risk to this building, the security systems, and to the whole Avengers initiative. We don't know who these people are!"

"Please, no one is getting into my security systems. The integrity of the building and its occupants is not at risk, trust me" Tony said shortly. "These people are just _people_. Just wild kids he's meeting the normal way. I don't think there's any problem with him going out and... having a little fun. Making new friends."

"Sewing his wild oats" Bruce said with a shy smile.

"Exactly. He's getting his many and varied frustrations out the traditional way, with some very willing participants. He's not hurting anyone, destroying anything- other than the bed frame from the sounds of it. I think this is progress, actually. Unless he knocks someone up, I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"Oh crap, can you imagine if that happened though?" Bruce said, frowning thoughtfully. "Little demi-gods-of-mischief running around, wrecking havoc."

Tony cringed at the thought "You better re-iterate the safe sex thing to him" Tony muttered.

"Why me?" Bruce demanded.

"You're a doctor" Steve and Tony said in unison.

Bruce frowned and folded his arms. "I'm not actually that kind of doctor" he muttered.

The three men fell into uneasy silence.

"How does he even do it?" Steve finally asked.

Tony raised his eyebrows and looked to Bruce "Uh... sounds like you need to explain to Steve where babies come from."

"What? No! Shut up, Tony!" Steve muttered, flushing. He folded his arms defensively. "What I mean is... the guy can't even talk... he's left alone in a bar for ninety minutes, and he picks up..."

Steve held up his hands in a questioning gesture. "How is that even possible?"

Tony grinned in a very knowing sort of way.

Bruce shrugged, "I don't know. He has some kind of royal, god-like mojo? Just gives off the CFM vibes"

"CFM?" Steve asked

"Never mind" Bruce said quickly, before Tony could open his mouth.

"It's like he just has to _look_ at someone in a particular way, and their clothes just... explode off them, or something!" Steve complained.

Tony howled with laughter, and Bruce just smiled, sighed and shook his head at the thought.

"You need the guy to give you some tips" Tony laughed. "Get him to take you out some time."

Steve blushed "No, thank you. I'd rather court someone, get to know and respect them first, before... you know..."

Bruce gave the blonde man a good natured pat on the back, as he shot Tony a warning looked. Tony simply continued to chuckle.

"Things are somewhat different, I think, when you're alien royalty" Bruce said dryly.

"Or a genius billionaire" Tony muttered slyly.

"So, what are we going to do about this?" Steve asked.

"Nothing" Tony said.

"This cannot be allowed to continue" Steve argued.

"Set limits on him, then. He's allowed to hang out once a week after class. You go with him, keep an eye on him, and vet anyone he wants to bring home" Bruce said reasonably.

Steve looked annoyed. "Why do I have to go?"

"Because I would attract too much attention" Tony stated. "So would Thor, and he'd also be an immediate give-away."

"And because I don't do well in environments like bars" Bruce added. "And we're not asking Natasha or Clint to do it, because we don't want a bloodbath.

Steve sighed deeply.

"It doesn't have to be a bad thing" Tony said reassuringly. "Take Carol with you. She likes a drink now and then. Make a night of it" he added, clapping Steve on the back.

Bruce shrugged "That's a nice idea."

"And while you're keeping an eye on Loki, you might learn a thing or two" Tony added slyly.

...

Loki made a fuss, sighing and pacing and rolling his eyes when Steve confronted him with the ground rules. Eventually he condescendingly and very grudgingly accepted Steve's terms, and Steve kept his distance when Loki and his new friends were socialising.

Almost as if to spite him, Loki didn't bring anyone home for weeks, and so Steve's duty seemed especially pointless.

He didn't invite to Carol to surveil with him-partly because he didn't want her dragged in to their schemes, but mostly because if he was ever going to man up and ask her out, their first date sure as hell was not going to be babysitting Loki of Asgard.

…

The lift doors open, and Steve stepped out into the apartment. It was early, he was restless and planned to ask Thor to spar with him, if the god was awake.

He startled when the woman ran headlong into him and bounced off, and for one strange moment he thought she was Pepper. He opened his mouth to greet her as such, but she looked up, and he realised he didn't know her.

"Sorry" she muttered. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, her face tear-streaked. She tried to step around Steve and into the lift, but he stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Ma'am? Are you all right?" he asked, immediately regretting the question -clearly she wasn't all right.

"I'm fine" she said huskily. She averted her eyes to the floor, and seemed very eager to not be there. Her shoulders were heaving with emotion, and Steve fought with himself, but chivalry won out.

"Do you need help? Are you sick?"

She shook her head. "I just need to... go home..." he voice wavered, and he saw fresh tears roll down her face. Steve did not know what to think.

"This was a mistake, oh god, I'm so stupid" she muttered.

Steve got a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Were you... visiting with Joe?" he asked.

She nodded weakly.

"Did he hurt you?" Steve asked in a flat, tight voice.

"No!" she said, shocked. Her brow furrowed and she peered into Steve's face. "No one... this is my fault." She shook her head. "He didn't... what am I going to say to-?" She burst into tears again, and pushed past Steve into the lift.

Steve stood stock still for a moment, puzzling over the scene he'd just been part off. Then he turned and stalked into Loki's room.

The fallen god was sitting up in bed, covered with a sheet, the rest of the bedclothes in disarray around him. He was reading a magazine and looking perfectly calm.

"What the hell did you do to that woman?" Steve demanded.

Loki didn't even look up at him, he just shrugged.

"Hey!" Steve shouted. "You need to explain to me what the hell is going on here."

Loki tossed the magazine aside and looked around, trying to locate his Starkjotter.

"She didn't come home with you last night" Steve observed. "So when did she get here, and what did you do that made her leave this morning in tears?" Steve demanded

"_I did not assault her. That's obviously what you're thinking._" Loki said, frowning deeply as he typed. Steve folded his arms across his broad chest and looked penetratingly at Loki.

Loki could feel, as much as he could see, that the other man had gone into full _Captain America_ mode, and as such knew this could get ugly quite rapidly. He sighed, hating that he had to explain himself to anyone. He slipped out of his bed, pulling on a pair of pants as he stood. He took up the jotter again. "_She stopped by to visit, at my invitation, quite late last night._"

"Who is she, and why was she crying when she left?"

"_She is one of the students in the art class I pose for, and I have had my eye on her, but... she is engaged to be wed, and was unresponsive to my overtures._"

Steve's glare was relentless.

"_Last night she had some sort of fight with the fiancée, and I invited her to come over and _'cry on my shoulder'..."

Steve looked disgusted. "And you took advantage of her."

Loki shook his head and looked annoyed. "_No, I did not. If anything, I gave her a way out. Clearly she was unhappy with her arrangement..._"

Steve looked at Loki like he did not know what to make of him. Loki stared back defiantly.

"That's disgusting."

"_She is a grown woman. She came over with a very specific goal in mind, so why deny her? She wanted attention and affection, and I gave it to her._"

"What the hell is wrong with you, Loki?" Steve burst out. "You can't take over the world, so, what? You scale back? Start bringing people down one by one, on a personal, intimate level?"

Loki bristled.

"You can't treat people like this! You can randomly mess up people's lives because you don't know what to do with yours!" Steve slung.

Loki's eyes narrowed, and he stepped closer to Steve. Steve did not back down, stepping closer until they were nearly chest-to-chest and glaring at each other. Loki had so many things he wanted to say, and hated that he did not have the words to do so. He reached for the jotter again.

"_What do you expect me to do, Captain" _he typed quickly._ "You bring me here to rehabilitate me, and what has that amounted to? For someone you distrust so eagerly, you seem quite content to leave me alone most of the time._"

Steve read the statement and blinked, surprised. He was quiet for a moment, thinking.

"I understand what it's like to be lonely, to feel like you don't fit in... but you can't behave like this. You can't treat people like they're disposable, like their feelings don't matter- you do realise that humans have feelings, right?"

Loki started at Steve with utter incredulity, and then began to laugh. Pain shot through his jaw as he did so, but he could not stop the bitter sound that escaped him. Steve looked at him like he was insane, and that only made Loki laugh harder. Finally, the discomfort outweighed the irony, and Loki stopped laughing with a sigh.

"_Yes, Captain. I know with utter certainty that humans have feelings. In fact, sometimes, I think that's _all _you have._"

Steve's brow furrowed with confusion as he read this.

"_Humans may be weak and disorderly and disorganised, but you're certainly not afraid to _feel. _It's one thing you happen to have in common with Asgardians, I suppose._"

Steve looked curiously at Loki.

"_If someone is drowning, you don't give them more water, you give them air. Being here, in this tower, with you people, makes me feel like I'm drowning_."

Steve didn't seem to know what to say, and Loki felt a stab of bitter amusement at the man's confusion.

"So tell me, how does sleeping with someone's fiancée help you feel better?" Steve said slowly. He looked expectantly at Loki. Loki did not answer. Steve shook his head. "You haven't changed, Loki. I'm sorry we haven't been... I don't know... holding your hand a little more? Nurturing you? But is that what you even want?"

Loki smirked and shrugged.

Steve appraised the look he was being given. "You act like you're too clever to need anyone's help. To be honest I wouldn't even know where to start. Mostly I just want to keep you out of trouble. And that's what I'm trying to do."

"_I never asked for your help. And all things considered, I am doing the best I can._" Loki typed.

Steve's eyebrows rose. "That so? All I see is an adult who behaves like a child- acting out and tearing people down doesn't ever seem to have worked for you before, but you go right ahead. Stick to what you're good at" Steve said bitterly.

"_At least I _act._ At least I am not standing still while life passes me by_." Loki typed, his mouth twisting to a spiteful grimace.

"Is that what you're doing?" Steve said lightly.

"_Yes. This is me playing at being a Midgardian. Living out a futile, pointless little life, getting my thrills where and when I can. I think I do a good impression._"

"You have no idea what it's like to be human" Steve said flatly.

"_Thank _Odin_ for that_" Loki typed, smirking again.

Steve shook his head, clearly disappointed, but his disapproval did not touch Loki at all.

"_Are you quite finished?_" He typed.

Steve shrugged. "I don't really know what to say to you. We're not friends. You're not interested in camaraderie or advice. I don't know what to do with you."

"_Leave me alone,_" Loki typed, his expression calm. "_In all seriousness. Leave me be._"

Steve studied him. "Maybe we should have let Odin send you to Nifflheim for a while" he said gently, intending to surprise the fallen god, but not wound him. "Then you could have lived as a solitary god, instead of toiling as a mortal."

Loki's back stiffened. "_And perhaps you should have been left in your icy grave, remembered as a hero, instead of living ineffectually in a world you no longer fit into._"

Loki felt the searing discomfort rise in Steve as his barb hit home. Steve shook his head and turned to walk away. He stopped in the doorway.

"You have a thing for redheads, don't you?" he said very casually. Loki frowned.

"Yeah, I noticed. At first I thought maybe it was because of Natasha... she's about the only woman who ever got the jump on you, so I figured maybe you enjoyed taking advantage of women who looked like her... but that woman this morning... she reminded me a lot of Pepper. And something about the other women, well... That's just a coincidence, right?

Loki stared blankly at Steve.

"I'd be careful, if I were you. It would be a big mistake for you to get any funny ideas about Pepper. Unless you want to be reduced to molecules by Stark." he spared a glance at Loki, who smirked, and began to slowly clap.

Steve shrugged and left, Loki's mocking applause ringing in his ears.

Once the solider had left, Loki stopped clapping, his arms falling to his sides. His limbs were heavy. His body was heavy. He was confused and irritated by the conversation he'd just had and _clearly Rogers was an idiot_. His eyes hurt, and the persistent ache in his jaw had moved back to his chest, where it seemed to have taken up permanent residence next to the persistent feeling of ennui. The loneliness, the feeling of isolation and strangeness began to rise, like cold fingers clawing their way up his spine. Loki drew in a deep breath, fighting it, and once more beat the feeling down.

No one in this forsaken place would ever see him without his head held high.

… … … …

_Author's notes: Part two, sorry for the delay! I had a lot to pack in here- I wanted humour, but also the display of Loki's spiral into unhappiness, but in a way only Loki could pull off! It took me a while to feel right about Steve & Loki's conversations. I think I got there in the end, or at least got their differing points across. _

_Anyway, happy holidays, thank you for your continued support this year, and as both series are drawing to a close I will try to keep updating with the last few chapters without so much delay! And if I'm taking too long for your liking, follow me on Twitter: _**Bombshell1701**_ and poke me with a virtual stick from time to time! Happy new year and all the best for 2013._


	10. Compromised

**Notes From A Royal Screw-up**

**Chapter Ten**

_Author's note: This chapter contains violence and bad language._

Happy Hogan opened the door of the car, and Loki slid onto the back seat. He felt completely muddled; his senses were so overloaded that it was no longer easy to distinguish what he was feeling and what he was reading from someone else.

This city was so discordant, even the novelty of posing for the art class and sleeping with the students had lost its glow. He no longer resented the isolation he was so often left in by his so-called saviours- he relished it. It was better than being around so many dysfunctional people.

He was slightly bemused to find Pepper Potts already in the car. She had a laptop balanced on her knees and a tablet computer in her left hand. She was staring intently at the tablet, and tapping away at the laptop, and didn't look up at him as he arranged himself of the back seat.

Loki fastened his seatbelt as the car pulled away from the curb. After several moments, Pepper dropped the tablet onto the empty seat between them and looked over at Loki.

"Sorry about that. How are you?" she asked.

Loki has been staring out the window, and he turned to face her. He didn't mind so much being near her- of all the people he'd met, she was the most emotionally evolved. Her feeling were complex, but she had such good control over them. Usually. And she was the most honest about how she really felt.

But he hadn't seen her since she'd confronted him so passive-aggressively about Coulson. Loki couldn't feel any hostility rolling off her at the moment, thank Odin, just polite curiosity and weariness.

He reached into his pocket and produced his Starkjotter, which was looking a little battered, and answered with "_Quite well_." A lie was easier than the truth. "_And you?_"

Pepper pushed out a sigh. "Busy. Always, always busy. I just got back from DC, fourth time this month. We've got until five o'clock to file our final paperwork for Potts Tower-"

Loki's raised eyebrows and speculative expression made her smile and flush slightly with embarrassed pride. "Yes, I'm getting a building named after me- it was Tony's idea."

"_That is quite an honour. I have an epic poem named after me._"

Pepper didn't know if she should look impressed or worried, so she just smiled and nodded. Loki chucked to himself at her baffled reaction.

She settled back against the seat with a sigh. "How is the... uh... job going?" Pepper enquired.

Loki gave a thoughtful hum and at length he typed "_It gets me out of the house._"

Pepper studied him for a moment, and nodded slowly.

"I heard you've been making new friends. That's... good. It is good, isn't it?"

"_It's a diversion, I suppose_" Loki responded.

Pepper continued to study him. "Anyone... special?"

Loki quite definitively shook his head no

Pepper nodded and cleared her throat nervously. "Well..." she conceded. "The way Tony used to carry on... I don't think anyone around here can judge" she said with a nod.

Loki smothered a chuckle, and smiled mildly instead.

Pepper leaned back against the car seat and closed her eyes for a moment. They lapsed into reasonably comfortable silence for several blocks of gridlock.

"Plans for the evening?" she asked conversationally.

"_Yes. My brother has finally returned for The Land of Enchantment, I believe it is called_" he wrote. Pepper's lips curved into a smile when she read this, but she didn't correct him with the state's actual name. "_So I imagine he and I will dine together, and he will tell me about his adventures with his lady, Jane._" Loki was surprised at how eager he was to see Thor again. Not that he would ever admit it to the big, blonde oaf.

"Oh" Pepper said abruptly. She frowned and looked apologetic. "I'm afraid Thor got called away with the team a couple of hours ago. Tony didn't get a chance to tell me what the emergency was this time, so I don't know when they'll all be back."

Loki tried very hard to keep the disappointment off his face, and then mentally berated himself for even really caring. Pepper smiled apologetically. They lapsed into an uneasy silence.

"Happy and I were going to order pizza tonight. It's kind-of what we do when Tony's off playing Iron Man- pizza and beer vigil, I guess. Why don't you join us?"

Loki could feel a certain amount of discomfort radiating from Pepper, but he suspected that it was more at the thought he would say no and she'd feel awkward for asking, than at the thought of having to keep him company.

"_I would appreciate that. I don't mind pizza._" he answered.

"Good" Pepper said, satisfied.

Happy drove through several security checkpoints that lead into the garage of Stark Tower, and Pepper sighed with relief at finally being home again. Happy let Pepper and Loki out at the private elevator, and drove off to park.

… … … ...

The elevator doors parted, and Pepper strode out. Loki followed slowly behind her. When Pepper stopped suddenly, he nearly collided with her.

"Excuse me, what are you doing here?" Pepper demanded.

Loki looked across the room to see a workman pulling cables from a nearby wall panel. Further along the wall, another workman was doing the same thing. Both men were huge, and looked the part in their coveralls and work boots, but Loki immediately felt that something was off.

"Repairs" came the gruff reply. Neither of the workers paused to look at Pepper.

"You don't have permission to be on this level!" Pepper cried. "Who authorised this?"

"Stark" the workman grunted.

The fine hair on the back of Loki's neck prickled. His stomach tightened. Pepper strode towards the closest workman, and he shadowed her. He placed a hand gently, warningly on her arm.

"Well, he didn't say anything to me about. Let me see your work order, please." She stopped and extended her hand expectantly. Loki shifted, so that he was standing slightly in front of her.

The workman turned and reached into his tool box.

Loki knew none of this was what it seemed. He reacted. He grabbed Pepper's arm, pulling her close to shield her with his body as he spun them both away. The workman has raised a blaster and took a shot in the direction they'd been standing, but Loki's reflexes were too fast, and the shot hit the wall behind them instead. There was a tremendous crack as part of the wall exploded, shooting masonry and dust into the air. Pepper gave a short scream of shock as this all happened. Loki crushed her to his chest, and half carried her across the room in four swift steps.

The second workman had grabbed his blaster and took aim at them. Loki lurched forward and flung Pepper along the ground; she slid across the floor, coming to a rough stop behind the bar. The momentum carried him forward, and he grabbed a barstool, spun on one heel, and flung it with considerable force at the second brute. The stood collided with the workman and his shot went wild, hitting the ceiling and showering the room with more debris. Loki spun again and vaulted over the bar to join Pepper.

"Security breach" JARVIS announced. "Initiating a full security lock-down."

"_Now_ you realise there's been a security breach?" Pepper demanded. There was a low rumbling noise, and security shutters began to roll down all the windows.

"JARVIS!" Pepper called. "No! Don't lock us in here with them!" She looked up at Loki. "What the hell is going on?" she demanded. Loki gave a curt shake of his head, trying to indicated that he didn't know. He looked closely at Pepper- she was a little scraped up, but otherwise all right.

He reached up and grabbed a polished metal tray off the bar, and from the safety of the bar used its reflection to track the two assailants. He could see them edging towards the bar, blasters raised and ready. Loki looked around. He and Pepper were trapped in an indefensible position. He needed to come up with a plan, and quickly. His head buzzed painfully.

"JARVIS, call Tony" Pepper called to the AI.

"Mister Stark is currently on deployment with _The Avengers_." JARVIS answered neatly.

Loki let out a slow breath. Pepper was alarmed, and he could feel her struggle to stay calm and focused. He could feel emotions rolling of the two attackers, a kind of brutal efficiency that didn't feel human. It didn't feel like anything he'd encountered before. He could hear his blood rushing in his ears, and the pain behind his eyes was spreading down his spine.

"I know that!" Pepper growled. "Patch me through to him anyway!"

"Pep, this really isn't a good time" came Tony's tired voice.

"We're being attacked!" Pepper cried.

Loki sprang up, and flung the metal tray at the closer of the two attackers. It cracked him right in the face, whipping his head back and making him stagger backwards. He misfired, hitting the wall above the bar. Pepper flinched but didn't scream, and for a brief, satisfying moment Loki thought he could give Captain America a run for his money.

"Where are you? Who's attacking you? Who are you with?" Tony's voice was sharp.

"In the Tower. There are two men, they've got... some kind of laser gun. Loki's here. He's... trying to fight them off!"

"Loki's _fighting_ these guys? Not... fighting _with_ them?" Tony clarified.

"He's definitely _not_ with them" Pepper confirmed, and Loki rolled his eyes. He inched closer to the edge of the bar, ready for the attacker to appear. He turned and looked at Pepper, cursing that he couldn't communicate with her. He made a gesture for her to stay down and she nodded.

"I'm on my way back" Tony's voice was tense. "I'm calling Fury, he'll get agents there as soon as her can. Sit tight, okay?"

Pepper screamed as one of the assailants suddenly lunged over the bar and grabbed at Loki. Loki was ready for the attack; with one hand he fended off the blaster, sending a shot over his shoulder. With his other hand he smashed the attacker's nose. He may not have had his godly powers, but he was still strong, and the punch was effective.

The attacker roared with anger, and flung Loki across the room. Loki landed hard, but rolled and came up in a fighting stance. He pivoted and kicked an ottoman, sending it across the room, where it crashed onto the second attacker, who had just struggled to his feet again. He crashed to the ground again, the ottoman on his head.

Loki charged at the attacker near the bar; the brute was moving around the counter to get at Pepper. Loki rushed him, crash-tackling him onto the back bar. The mirror behind the bar shattered, raining sharp shards onto them. He grabbed a shard to stab with, but the attacker was large and strong and surprisingly nimble, and fended off the slashes with his massive forearms.

Loki stepped back, years of training for battle coming back to him easily. But the attacker was also well trained. He turned to take aim at Loki with his blaster again, but every time he raised the weapon Loki would dart in and slash at his hand or arm. Loki was stunningly fast, and his opponent roared with frustration.

Loki spared a glance at Pepper, she was sheltering behind the bar, cut and bleeding, watching him with a stunned look on her face. Loki could feel her confusion, her desperation to help, and he silently willed her to stay down.

His opponent kicked out suddenly, and Loki dove to the side, rolling out of reach. As he came up, he saw the brute raise his weapon to fire, right at his chest.

"Hey!" Pepper screamed.

He saw Pepper throw something. The object hit the back of the brute's head and shattered, he lurched forward and his aim shifted as he fired.

The blast caught Loki hard on his left shoulder. The impact threw him backwards. Pain seared through his arms and chest, up into his neck and head. When he hit the ground he barely felt it.

He lay on the ground, unable to breathe. All he could feel was pain, so much pain that his senses overloaded, and fingers of blackness closed in. His ears rang. His lungs burned. He screamed.

And then slowly, agonisingly, he noticed something very odd.

He felt the magic unfurling within him.

The blackness receded. His shoulder burned, and the burning channelled down his spine and up into his skull, and through his jaw into his face. His mouth was in agony as the unseen thread unravelled, the pain and shock of the moment too great even for Dwarfish magic.

He clawed at his face, tears leaking from his eyes. He caught hold of the edge of his power in his mind, and it buoyed him upwards, out of the agony and back into awareness.

He pushed through the binding magic of Odin, struggled and railed against it, knowing his power was once again within his reach. He yelled with pain and frustration as he was reborn, a long, drawn-out sound that turned into word.

"DAMN!"

He broke off and lay on the ground gasping.

It was there again. He could feel it- the part of him that had been closed off for months. It was light, heat and power, it was weak and frail from sad disuse, but it hummed through him.

He gasped, almost overwhelmed with relief. Tears of pain and shock and joy welled in his eyes.

He looked over at the villain who had shot him. He was doubled over, dazed from having had a decanter of scotch thrown at him by an angry red-head. He was looking at Pepper with a fierce expression in his eyes, and he turned, slowly raising his blaster at her.

He paused, however, when he suddenly found himself surrounded. He looked, panicked and disbelieving at the men who encircled him. Every one of the was the spitting image of the dark haired man he'd just fought.

But before he could question how that was possible, his legs were kicked out from under him. He hit the floor hard, and rolled to the side, and as he came up he was faced with just one version of the dark-haired man.

He looked desperately around him, wondering where the others had gone, and Loki punched him in the face. The villain staggered backwards. Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he spun, ready to swing- it was the same man again, he'd sneaked up behind him, and then he punched him in the face again.

He swung at the dark haired man, only to have the punch blocked by one of the same men, and another of the same man punched him hard in the ribs. Before him, the dark haired man was there, too, laughing wickedly and looking like he was enjoying himself.

The brute spun, trying to keep his eyes on the man, but he was all around him, there and then not there.

"I'm right here, you idiot" A raw, rasping voice said from behind him.

The brute spun around. Face to face with the dark-haired man, he raised his blaster to take a shot, but the man was faster this time. He raised his hands and flung something. Tiny, razor-sharp knives of ice cut into the brute all over his body, piercing his armour with ease, hitting vital nerves and vessels. The brute gave a cry of pain and frustration and dropped to the ground.

The was a scuffle from over near the bar, and Loki turned. The second attacker had recovered, and was trying to drag pepper to her feet. Pepper was slashing at him ferociously with a large shard of glass. The villain roared with anger and grabbed her roughly, squeezing the shard from her hand. He levelled his blaster at her, and she glared up at him and stopped struggling.

"Put. Her Down." Loki hissed.

"You will pay for this insult!" The villain roared.

"You will pay with your life" Loki rasped.

The brute threw Pepper down and turned his weapon on Loki. Loki summoned an ice dagger and threw it at his opponents wrist. The blast hit the floor and both he and Loki were knocked off their feet. The brute grabbed at Loki and pinned him to the ground with his bodyweight. He punched Loki hard in the head, so Loki retaliated with a firm knee in the enemy's groin. The brute yelled with pain and surprise and threw Loki off.

Loki pushed himself onto his feet, but the brute got off a shot. It hit the ground by Loki's feet, and once again Loki was thrown backwards by the blast, smashing hard onto the floor.

His ears were ringing, his breath knock from his lungs, and he struggled to his feet, just in time to see his enemy standing over Pepper, weapon raised, ready to shoot.

"No!" Loki yelled through a haze of pain.

Pepper was looking up at the brute, a surprised look on her face.

Loki moved towards them. He conjured ice daggers and duplicates to distract the villain, but he instinctively knew he would not be fast enough this time.

The attacker took aim, trembled and then suddenly lurched forward, hitting the ground next to Pepper.

Loki froze, staring at the body, wondering what had just happened.

Then he notice the arrow sticking out of the attacker's back at a shallow angle.

He looked up. An air condition hatch in the ceiling hung open. And there, hanging upside down by his knees from the crawlspace, was Clint Barton, bow still in hand.

Loki stood and looked at the agent for a moment, a stunned kind of relief washing over him. Then he shook off the emotion and moved slowly towards Pepper. His body ached from the blaster shot, lingering agony of throwing off the godly binding, and every movement felt awkward and weighted down. He stooped down with a sigh.

"Are you all right?" he managed to say.

Pepper was pale and glassy-eyed, but amazingly calm, in defiance of shock. She nodded confidently, and then winced as she touched the wrist her attacker had grabbed so roughly. She looked a Loki, and he felt her confusion and concern.

"Your mouth is bleeding" Pepper said.

Loki reached up and delicately touched his lips. His fingertips came away covered in bright red blood. Well, that explained the pain there.

Loki hadn't paid any heed to Barton. He didn't notice that the agent had dropped almost silently from his position in the crawl space onto the floor, nor did it register in Loki's excited, exhausted mind that Barton was moving stealthily towards him from behind...

Barton brutally grabbed a handful of Loki's hair, hauled him to standing and pressed a knife to his throat. Loki tensed and froze.

"Clint!" Pepper protested.

"You little son-of-a-bitch. Who were they? How long have you been planning this?" Clint hissed.

Loki fought down his instinct to attack. He dragged in a ragged breath. The sensitivity he had developed to others' emotions seemed to have dulled under the re-awakening of his magic. Even so, he could practically taste the waves of rage rolling off the blonde man.

"I assure you-" Loki tried to say.

"What were they after?" Clint demanded.

Loki genuinely couldn't answer the question, so he remained silent.

"Who were they?" Clint yelled.

Loki closed his eyes and struggled to remain calm as the blade of the knife began to cut into his neck. "Agent Barton, I know you have no reason to trust me, but I swear I was not involved."

Pepper had struggled to her feet, and she raised her hands in a calming gesture and moved slowly towards Barton.

"Clint, he's not lying. He was trying to protect me. You didn't see what happened. This wasn't him."

"Stay out of this, Pepper" Clint muttered. He gripped Loki's hair tighter and pulled his head backwards, exposing the long line of Loki's neck.

Loki's mind raced. He knew he could swiftly attack Barton, but it would almost certainly mean killing the agent- and he knew there would be repercussions for him if that occurred. He could try to fight his way out; but he was weakened and Barton would have a serious advantage over him.

He felt a weak sense of panic being pushed down by a veneer of calm from Pepper. "Clint, please. Put down the knife. This isn't what you think."

"Don't be so naive" Barton spat.

"Agent Barton, please. It doesn't have to come to this-" Loki tried to reason.

"Do you think I'm ever going to trust you?" Barton asked in a tight voice. "Ever think you're anything other than a scheming sociopath? The others might think you're their pet god, but I know you're just sitting around, biding your time to fuck us over."

"I do not know who those men were." Loki said flatly. The exertion of speaking made his mouth burn, and all inside him his power thrummed. It would be so easy to end this-

"Clint, you need to stop this. Cutting his throat won't help you" Pepper said harshly.

Clint looked at her, his face neutral. "What the hell are talking about?"

Pepper looked calmly at him. "Put the knife down, please. Let him go. I want to talk to you, but you have to calm down."

Barton's grip on Loki grew tighter. "I am not putting down this knife until this asshole here tells me what the fuck he's up to." To prove his earnestness, he pressed the blade to Loki's throat. Loki could feel the knife start to cut him, and closed his eyes, willing himself to remain calm. He did not want to have to kill Barton in front of Pepper.

But he would if he had to.

There was a humming noise from behind them. It grew louder until the sound seemed to make the room vibrate. Pepper looked around Barton and Loki, her eyes going wide with surprise.

"What the hell?" she cried.

Barton spared a glance over his shoulder just in time to see the two attacker's bodies consumed by a shimmering pattern of light and energy. And then they disappeared completely.

It was just enough of a distraction for Loki to act. He grabbed Clint's knife hand and wrenched it away from his throat with all his godly strength. Clint gave a cry of pain and surprise and immediate sprang into action.

Loki reached up with his free hand and grabbed at the hand Clint was using to grip his hair. He pivoted under their raised arms and kicked. Clint kicked back, hard, and they began to grapple.

Pepper gave a startled cry and rushed out of the way. "Goddamn it, stop!" she yelled.

They jostled across the room, trying to pin each other's upper bodies they continued to kick, knee and block. Loki had the advantage of height, but his injuries was running him down. Clint had the benefit of being in fighting condition, but even at his best didn't have Loki's uncanny strength. Loki's mind raced, and he imagined all the ways he could use his magic to overcome Barton: but he knew absolutely that he could not do that.

This time he had to fight like a man. How tedious.

Clint could feel Loki guarding his left side, and he took advantage by slamming a punch into the fallen god's shoulder to see what would happen. He heard the sharp intake of breath and felt Loki waver slightly. With a feral smile Clint hit the same spot again, even harder. Loki gasped with pain and Clint grabbed him hard, pulling him into a headlock.

Loki retaliated by kicking Barton's legs out from under him. They collapsed together in a heap on the floor. Clint came out best. He threw Loki hard onto the floor on his back, winding him again. He rolled up, and pivoted until he was poised above Loki, pinning the god to the ground with a knee to his chest. His knife was still in his hand, and he leaned in and pressed the tip of it to Loki's windpipe.

Loki sighed, and struggled to suck in a breath. He looked up at Barton. "Do it" he wheezed. "Clearly you think it's owed to you. Who am I to stop you?"

"You're no-one" Clint rasped.

"That's right" Loki said, looking the man in the eyes. "So, do it."

Clint's brow furrowed in thought.

"Clint, please. Stop." Pepper begged. The shock and violence of the day had finally worn her down. She looked as though she might cry. Clint didn't even spare her a glance. He was too busy contemplating Loki.

"It would be so easy" Clint muttered. "Just to cut on you. Forget like any of it happened. Forget like any of it mattered."

"Clint, this doesn't solve anything. You are a good man. Don't do this" Pepper said quietly.

"If this is what you need to bring you closure, then do it" Loki said quietly.

Clint smiled bitterly. "But it's too easy, isn't it?" the smile dropped of his face and he stared hard at Loki. " If you _want_ me to do it, and I do... then you're just controlling me again, aren't you?"

"Do what you need to do, Agent Barton" Loki said flatly.

Clint withdrew the knife and slipped it into the sheath on his belt. He continued to stare at Loki. "You're suffering here, aren't you?" Clint stated. He silently contemplated Loki for a moment, and then nodded gently. "Good."

Slowly, he stood up, and looked over at Pepper, who looked like she might shatter from stress. "Let's get you cleaned up."

Pepper blinked at him in surprise, and looked down at Loki with a mixture of curiosity and sympathy. Loki closed his eyes so he didn't have to see her expression, and nodded at her.

Clint moved around to Pepper and placed a gentle hand on her arm, and she startled. She knew she should get Barton out of the room as quickly as possible, lest he or Loki changed their mind and resume trying to murder each other again. She let Barton lead her away.

Loki pressed his hand to the shallow knife wounds at his throat. His fingertips came away stained red, and he rubbed them together, looking at his blood. Slowly, painfully, he swayed to his feet, and without a backwards glance at the destroyed room, staggered down to his living quarters and locked himself in his room.

_To be concluded..._

… … … …

_Author's notes: Ah, finally- the confrontation we had to have! Thanks for your patience, this was an important chapter, and I couldn't force it. So who are these villains? Stay tuned! They will be cropping up again, and they are rather important. Also- Loki's epic poem? It's called the _Lokasenna_ and is basically about Loki crashing a party and being horrible to all the other guests. Good times! If you're wondering what the team was up to while all this was happening, make sure you keep an eye out for the next chapter of _Vicissitude_, it runs in a parallel time-frame. I'll update soon. Follow me on Twitter _Bombshell1701_ for the scoop! And as always, thank you for reading._


	11. Undone

**Notes From a Royal Screw-Up**

**Chapter Eleven- Part One**

Loki floated in and out of consciousness. The pain in his face and body never really allowed him to sink into anything other than a feverish doze. His mouth would not stop bleeding. _Stupid Dvergar magic_. He gave up trying to stem the constant dribble of blood as it soaked into his pillow.

His body burned hot and cold, and he shivered and ached. He wondered vaguely if, now he was free of magical binding, his body was trying to rebel completely and revert to Jotunn form. He did not even have the energy to feel disgusted at the thought.

His scalp ached from having his hair pulled so aggressively by Barton during their showdown. He pressed one pale, trembling hand to his head, and the other to his injured shoulder and wondered why he was still alive.

He went inwards, trying to centre his mind. There was no calm to be found, just a raging sea of pain and confusion, a place very familiar to him.

He did not hear the tapping at the door when Pepper came down, wanting to look in on him. She called his named and tried to open the door.

"Please leave me alone" he said inside his head, and somehow the message trickled out of his aching mouth.

He didn't witness the way his response made Pepper frown with concern.

...

His next visitor ignored his request for solitude, and had JARVIS override the lock on the door. Loki was roused from the rage of his own mind with a start, to look up into the suspicious expression of Nick Fury.

The SHIELD director was leaning right over him, his face inches from Loki's.

"What the hell are you up to, son?" Fury asked, genuinely bemused.

"Go away" Loki rasped.

Fury was looking appraisingly at him. "Don't think so" he muttered. He activated his comm unit. "Send a med team to my location."

Loki reached up and grabbed Fury's wrist. "No. Your Earth treatments can do nothing for me."

The brow over Fury's good eye rose. "You're bleeding and you're in thermal shock from what those clowns hit you with. You may not be my favourite person, but I'm not leaving you to die of fever."

"I hardly think I'm dying" Loki sighed.

"No? Have you seen yourself lately? You're a mess" Fury remarked.

Loki shifted painfully on the bed, stifling a cry. Fury frowned and reached up, carefully pulling Loki's shirt up to look at the blast wound. He whistled, and pulled Loki's shirt down again. "Best we can tell, those weapons were some kind of... thermal blaster. A regular human would probably burn right up if they got hit with one of those things.

"Well, I'm certainly not a regular human, am I" Loki said archly.

Fury smiled wryly. "Not even close."

"I suppose being a blue-skinned monstrous freak has its upside after all."

"Maybe so" Fury said with a shrug.

The words swirled around in Loki's mind, and a vague notion formed there. He gently pushed Fury away and painfully hauled himself to his feet. Fury reached out to steady him. Loki swayed into the bathroom, Fury watching him questioningly.

"I will attend my injuries. There is no need for you to be concerned" Loki said. He moved to close the bathroom door, but Fury strode closer and stopped him.

"Maybe you just went out of your way to protect Pepper Potts, which is noble as hell and all that, but don't be too offended if I don't straight-up trust you. Get cleaned up if you want, but keep in mind that there are armed guards all over this building."

Loki sighed, his head pounding "Whatever pleases you, Director"

He closed the door and slowly, painfully shucked his clothes. He caught sight of himself in the mirror and stared. He was deathly pale, his eyes sunken and dull, the lower part of his face and all his neck stained with dried blood, fresh blood still wetting his mouth.

The blast wound on his should was livid burgundy, one giant, angry bruise that soaked through the thickness of his body to show quite clearly on his back, too. He gasped slightly at the sight of the wound- he'd never witnessed anything quite so strange. He pressed his fingertips to the wound. The skin was not damaged, but it was hot to touch, and the lightest pressure was searingly painful.

He stepped into the shower. At first the cold water was agony, but gradually, as it drew the heat out of the blast wound, it began to soothe him. He could feel his strange, natural Jotunn physiognomy throwing off the last strands of binding magic.

He didn't fight the transformation this time, and the ice cold of his form cooled his fever and soothed his face. His mouth continued to bleed, however, even as his flesh transformed. He stood transfixed as blood dropped off his face and swirled down the drain.

He slid down the wall and let the shower rain down on him, drawing the heat out. He shivered and ached and lost all track of time as he passed in and out of consciousness. His instinctual magic was trying to heal his injuries, and it was agony.

Eventually, he crawled out of the shower, bundled himself into a towel and climbed back into bed. He dropped into a listless sleep.

...

The next thing that roused him was the door bursting open. Without even looking up he knew it was Thor thumping into the room. He rolled his eyes and pulled the sheet up over his head to cover himself completely. He was still in Jotunn form, and the last thing he needed was to provoke another fight.

"Brother! Are you well? Fury spoke of what happened. He said there was a mighty battle, and you alone were the victor."

Loki felt the bed dip as Thor sat down next to him. He felt Thor's strong hand grip his shoulder.

"You have saved the life of Miss Potts. I am proud of you, brother" Thor said gently.

Loki pulled the blanket tightly about himself. "Firstly- don't you know how to knock? And secondly, please leave me. I am injured and wish for solitude"

Thor laughed. "You sound like your old self again, brother, and... it is good to hear your voice. Perhaps a good fight against a common foe is what you needed-"

"Get out" Loki said crisply. Thor fell silent.

"At least let me tend your injuries" Thor said finally. "Fury said you refused treatment, and that your mouth is bleeding from the breaking of the thread."

"I am healing. I am weary and in pain. Leave me alone."

Loki... let me see" Thor said, worry creeping into his voice.

"I am not injured, Thor!" Loki barked, and just to defy him, his mouth twinged angrily.

"I will be the judge of that!" Thor said angrily. Loki felt Thor grip the blanket, ready to pull it down.

"Thor, do not look at me. You will not like what your eyes behold."

Thor sighed heavily. "Don't be stupid. I have seen many injuries. I am not weak of stomach."

"It's not my injuries that I am worried about" Loki said flatly.

"Then what?" Thor asked.

"If you remove this blanket, you will behold your enemy."

Thor seemed to take a moment to consider those words. "I am not afraid" he said gently.

Loki felt a rush of emotions. He didn't have the capacity to sort through any of them. He was trapped and exposed. No energy for a fight.

"Loki, stop hiding from me. Stop running. Stop pushing me away."

"Damn you, Thor" Loki whispered.

Loki pushed himself upright. The blanket fell away from his face, revealing his true form.

To his credit, Thor's face did not betray any of the disgust Loki was certain he must have been feeling. Instead, the Asgardian's forehead creased slightly in concentration as he studied Loki. He looked closely at the man who was raised as his brother.

"Seeing you like this will take some getting used to" Thor finally admitted.

"Are you not horrified?" Loki asked, childish disappointment rising in him.

Thor shook his head slowly. "No" he said thoughtfully.

"You should be" Loki sneered.

"Why? You look practically the same. Just... blue. And somewhat bumpy."

Loki sighed "You really are such a simpleton"

"Why? Because I see things differently to you? Because I can still see you as my brother, not my enemy? If those things make me a simpleton, than so be it. Loki, you are extraordinary. You've always been different in many ways, and this is just an extension of that. Don't you see, the differences that have always set you apart have always been the things we've loved the most about you?"

Loki stared at Thor. "You sound like... mother" he said flatly.

"Good" Thor said. "I take that as a compliment."

"Not sure I meant it as one" Loki said dryly.

"She's the only one who ever made you see reason, Loki. If conjuring her essence now helps you-"

Loki sighed, his head dropping. He was too exhausted for this. Thor continued to look closely at him, and he felt like he should be irritated by the scrutiny. But somehow it didn't needle as he would have expected.

"I have failed you in so many ways, brother" Thor said quietly. "I was too caught up in my own importance to see how far you had fallen into darkness, and you nearly killed me for my arrogance. And then I was given a second chance- I brought you to Asgard on the promise that I would help you, and again I neglected my duties." Loki glanced at his foster brother. Thor was stricken, his face creased with emotion. "Why am I so selfish?" Thor asked.

"Because you were always allowed to be" Loki said sarcastically. After a moment of thought he added: "As was I. That's how we were raised."

"That is not how our parents raised us!" Thor said passionately.

"Yes, it is" Loki admitted. He sighed and leaned back heavily against the headboard of the bed, closing his eyes to rest them."We were both indulged. Of course you were scrutinised much more closely than I" Loki stated, smirking but sounding bitter at the same time. "I assume they thought that time and experience would temper you- make you into the king you needed to be. Of course, it took banishment to Midgard, and the loss of your powers, to actually humble you."

"Humble?" Thor breathed, ashamed. "That is not what I am. I left you in solitude, in the company of strangers, to pursue my own happiness. I have spent more time with my Lady Jane than I have with you, despite the promise I made to our parents and my team-mates... the promise I made to _you_... that I would care for you."

"I have preferred it that way, Thor, so don't trouble yourself" Loki said impatiently, longing for this conversation to be over. "I never needed you to nanny me. I was sent here not to make friends or be entertained, but to suffer the same dreary life that these Midgardians endure. To see the people I wanted to enslave in their humdrum element. Banishing me here was a stroke of genius- I no longer want to rule this world- I feel pity for these bland people."

Thor continued to study Loki. "You don't fool me, brother. You've experienced loss, too. You've suffered far more than I. Has your exile all be for naught? Can you not find you way back to the light?"

Loki shook his head. "That's not for me, Thor. There is no throne in Asgard for me. No place in your hall, no hall of my own. My fate is to be the outcast. I revel in it, and the sooner you accept it, the happier you will be."

Thor's expression grew stormy, and Loki sighed deeply. "I grow weary of this heartfelt conversation. Can you not see how exhausted I am?" He genuinely was exhausted, so exhausted he didn't care how weak he looked to Thor. He would have sooner faked a swoon than spend another moment bearing witness to Thor's chest-beating confessions.

After a moment of truly awkward silence, Thor surprised Loki with a request. "May I touch your skin?" he asked respectfully.

"Why?" Loki asked, baffled.

Thor shrugged. "Most contact I have had with Jotunn has been... well, with Mjolnir."

Loki scoffed. "Want to feel for weaknesses in this wicked form?"

Thor reached forward and gripped Loki's forearm. "No" he said, looking his brother in the eyes. "I wish us to be allies, Loki. Always. I wish us to stand together." Thor reached up and gripped Loki's other forearm. Loki made to pull away, but Thor would not let him. He looked intently into Loki's eyes, asking for forgiveness, struggling to understand. "Whatever has come before between us, between our peoples... let us put it behind us."

Loki looked at the bare flesh of his arms, waiting for his Jotunn form to recede at Thor's touch. Waiting for his skin to become _normal_ again. It did not. He swallowed nervously, unable to decide if he was willing himself to keep his true form. Defying Thor's expectations once again. Defying his own...

Loki tore his eyes away from his own alien form, but still couldn't meet Thor's eyes. He shook his head. "You are a fool, Thor. How can we ever stand together? Look at us! The future king of Asgard and the _monster_? What hope would we have of alliance?"

"As the king of the Jotunn, you would be free to form whatever allegiances pleased you" a familiar voice told them.

Thor and Loki looked over. Frigga stood, tall and calm, framed by the doorway.

"Mother!" They cried in unison, sounding like children. Loki caught himself, and rolled his eyes, but Thor beamed at their mother, and Frigga gave her sons a knowing look.

_To Be Continued..._

… … … … …

_Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay in getting this to you, my weekends are being spent house-hunting and slowly prepping to move, which pretty much sucks my will to live. There will mostly likely be three parts to this final chapter, I'll get them to you as soon as I can. You can follow me on Twitter _**Bombshell1701 **_for random updates. Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate the feedback. I'm always bummed when I get anonymous posts that I can't reply to, because I get some great comments. But please know that I appreciate everyone who takes a minute to review._


	12. Mirror

**Notes From a Royal Screw-Up**

**Chapter Eleven - Part Two**

Frigga sank down on the bed at Loki's side, and pulled both her sons to her, embracing them firmly.

Loki felt a thrill of horror: he was in Jotunn form. How could Frigga stand to see him this way? He was supposed to be her son. He tried pushing his blue form away, willed his skin to return to a _normal_, healthy Asgardian flesh-tone. He grit his teeth and silently trembled from the effort.

Frigga reached out and squeezed his hand. "Stop it" she said calmly. Loki swallowed the lump in his throat.

After a moment, she pulled away, and reached into the pocket of her gown. She produced a vial of dark liquid and a silky cloth. "Lie down" she instructed her younger son. For once, hid did as he was told. She blotted some of the liquid onto the cloth. "This will hurt, but it will help staunch the bleeding" she told him.

He tried not to flinch as she applied the liquid to his mouth. The pain was so stunning it brought tears to his eyes, which he struggled to blink away. After a moment the pain began to subside, leaving his lips feeling strange and tight. He reached up and gently touched them, sighing with relief when he could no longer feel gaping, bloody welts.

"Thank you" he breathed.

"Thank Eir. This is the last of her store of dragon's blood elixir" Frigga said casually.

They fell into an awkward silence for a moment, before Frigga turned to Thor. "Leave us, please, " she said, reaching up to squeeze her elder son's hand. Thor looked uncertain for a moment, looking between his mother and brother, but then bowed his head and strode from the room.

Frigga silently observed her son for a moment, reaching up to stroke his hair from his face and study his wounded face.

"How long had you been watching? How much did you see?" Loki asked warily.

"I know everything already, Loki, that is my fate. As for watching... of course I had Heimdal keeping an eye on you." She frowned disapprovingly.

"Then, what took you so long?" Loki finally asked petulantly, mentally berating himself for the vulnerability.

Frigga pointedly ignored the question. "Let me see your shoulder" she asked.

Loki frowned, and painfully shifted onto his side, allowing Frigga to examine the blast wound. She made a low hum of disapproval, and ran her fingers over the wound. Loki could swear that the pain eased at her touch, and his eyes fell closed.

"This is a mighty wound, but it will heal. I am proud of you for baring it so well." She rearranged Loki so she could look at him again. She examined his face closely. "The scars around your mouth will fade in time. They won't mar your looks."

"Looks?" he spat. He stared at her defiantly. "What looks? This is the _real_ me"

"I know. You are a beautiful boy, in any colour" she told him, a tiny, playful smile upon her lips.

Loki felt a bubble of petulant rage rise in his chest, which dispersed almost immediately- it was ridiculous, trying to be truly mad at this woman. In its place arose irritation, which stuck.

"I must say, I'm a little disappointed at Odin's loop-hole in my magical binding- rather clichéd, do you not think?"

Frigga frowned, not understanding. Loki smiled in a patient, patronising way. "That if I was willing to sacrifice myself, put myself in harm's way for a _mere mortal_, the binding would break and my powers be restored."

Frigga looked genuinely confused. She shook her head. "That would have been very clever, and certainly very appropriate, but that was not a condition to you accessing your powers."

"So, what then?" Loki wondered.

It was Frigga's turn to look patient. "Loki... do you really think Odin would send you here completely defenceless? I know you think little of him, and I know that often you can't be... trusted... with your magic... but no matter how disappointed or angry Odin was with you, he would never put you in a position where you could not defend your own life."

Loki kept the surprise from his face as he mulled this over.

"Though, it would have been terribly clever if that was his intention... to make you face your potential mortality in the protection of someone_ lesser_ than you. Sounds like something from a Midgardian fairytale."

Loki harrumphed, annoyed.

"I understand why you were willing to risk yourself for Ms Pepper Potts" Frigga said.

Loki lifted and eyebrow and looked challengingly at his mother.

"She reminds me a little of-"

"-Don't say it"

"-She reminds me of Sigyn" Frigga continued.

Loki sighed. "She's nothing like Sigyn." He laughed suddenly, bitterly. "Though, perhaps... she is fool, who would pledge her love and devotion to someone not worthy of her" Loki said bitterly.

Frigga frowned and looked hard at him. "I was going to say that they have the same strawberry hair... but when you put it like that..." she said dryly.

"From what you know of my... fate... do you understand what I've been experiencing?" Loki asked. "In place of my magic, I began to develop a kind of... sensitivity. To people. I could feel what they felt. I couldn't read their minds, but I could read them. It was alarming. Sometimes quite wonderful. Completely exhausting" Loki told her honestly.

"And you liked what you felt from Ms Potts?"

Loki tried to put the feelings into words. "Of everyone I was exposed to at length, she is the the most honest, and the most dishonest. There is a play of conflict in her which was fascinating to experience. She is so full to bursting with love and admiration for people, but she damps it down in case it makes her too vulnerable. I wished-" he caught himself and broke off.

Frigga studied him patiently. "What did you wish?" she coaxed.

"That she could just be honest with how she felt. That she didn't have to hide all her fire ." He smiled weakly. "I know what it's like to hide all your bold feelings... I know how it can turn to something hard and dangerous in your heart."

Frigga looked at him, her expression gentle. "Are you in love with her?"

Loki sighed, and laughed lightly. "No. Nothing like that. I suppose I felt a kinship with her. In a way she is an outsider here, too. When the attack happened, it made me realise how vulnerable she is. I felt she deserved better"

"You made the right choice, Loki. Your behaviour demonstrates how far you've come."

"Well, I suppose I can't be wrong all the time" Loki said archly. "And I imagine you think I still have a long way to go."

"Yes, you do."

"Yes... you're right." He studied her silently for a moment. "When you entered the room before, you said I could become the Jotun king. What could you possibly mean by that?"

Frigga nodded thoughtfully. "While you've been _busy_ in exile, your father and I have been busy, too. We have been negotiating a treaty with the Jotun."

Loki's eyebrows rose. "After millennia of bloodshed, how did you manage it?"

"We haven't really managed anything. We're still in negotiations. Whether it pans out or not depends on _you_."

"Me?" Loki asked, frowning. He pushed himself into a sitting position again. "What part could I possibly play in bringing about an accord between Asgard and Jotunheim? I killed their king and tried to use the Bifrost against them. Unless you're planning to hand me over to them for punishment for that? Is that the deal you've brokered?" Loki demanded hotly.

Frigga rolled her eyes. "Loki. Calm down. Why do you jump to such ugly conclusions? Do you really think I'd allow that to happen?" she was genuinely upset.

Loki cleared his throat nervously and folded his arms. "I am sorry. Please, continue" he said stiffly.

Frigga settled herself with a sigh, her expression tense. "The political situation on Jotun is quite complicated."

"Not a surprise" Loki drawled.

"Since the death of Laufey, his queen has been in charge of the realm."

"The queen of Jotunheim... you mean my birth mother" Loki said quietly.

"Farbauti. Yes. She is a powerful, formidable woman. She is not nearly as warmongering as was her late husband, and she has been open to talks of a truce. " Frigga's face became troubled, and she was thoughtful for a moment. "She's not at all what I expected... getting to know her has been... interesting. Hearing her side of things..." she trailed off. When she looked at her younger son again there was pain in her eyes. "She would very much like to meet you."

Loki had gone very still. "This is the woman who left me to die on an alter in the cold, trying to buy favour with her gods to win a war?"

Frigga swallowed hard and gently shook her head. "It is not nearly as simple as that, darling. I think you need to hear her story, and she desperately needs to tell it to you."

"No."

"Loki-"

"No" Loki repeated. "What can she possibly have to say to me? I don't need her. I _have_ a mother..."

Frigga bit her lip and looked at her son, tears welling in her eyes. "Yes, you do. A mother who loves you so much." She drew in a deep breath and tried to steady her voice. "Farbauti carries so much pain, she has so many regrets, Loki. And, in a way, I know how she feels."

"Don't compare yourself to her" Loki said softly. "I... I think I understand why you made the mistakes you made..."

"She deserves your understanding, too. When you hear what she has to say-" Frigga broke off and dashed at the tears that has overrun her eyes.

"No. Why would I want to cause you anymore grief?" Loki said, reaching up to wipe away his mother's tears.

"Because you need to know. You deserve to understand. She can help you understand this" Frigga said gently, taking Loki's hands, indicating his blue skin. "It might help you understand why you sometimes feel the way you do. And she can give you a future."

Loki looked sceptical. "How so?"

"You cannot stay here, Loki. Midgard is not right for you. And you can't return to Asgard, not yet. Even if you were to marry Sigyn and create an alliance with her family. You are a Jotun prince, and the rightful heir to their realm. This is a chance for you to take up your birthright."

Loki looked thoughtful. "To bridge the gap between Asgard and Jotunheim."

"Precisely"

"But why on Earth would they let me? I killed my own birth father. And then I tried to destroy the entire realm! Are they all mad?"

Frigga sighed. "As I said, the political situation on Jotunheim is _complicated_. There is someone who can explain it to you much more effectively that I..."

Loki shook his head. "I'm not ready to see her."

Frigga let out a shaky sigh. "You should not delay this."

"I am in no fit state-"

"You are perfect. You look like a warrior. She will be proud to see you."

Loki blinked and looked ruffled. "I-" he stalled. Frigga watched him patiently, watched him try to hide the emotions that darted across his expression. "At least allow me to attend to my personal grooming" he sighed.

"I will meet you in the sitting room of this little apartment of yours when you are ready" Frigga assured him. "Don't take too long."

"She's managed to last this long without knowing me, I'm sure she can wait a few moments longer" Loki muttered.

. . . . .

"Are you ready?" Frigga asked.

Loki's arms were folded firmly across his chest. "No" he answered shortly. Frigga managed a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. "Do not be scared" she murmured, as much to herself as to Loki, and then she looked skyward. "Heimdal, we shall proceed as planned."

Within seconds the room began vibrate and fill with multicoloured light. There was a crashing sound as hazy figures materialised from the swirling tunnel of energy. The light and sound dispersed, leaving flurries of condensation that swirled around the room.

"Unidentified life-forms in the Tower" JARVIS announced calmly.

"Oh really, And where was that analysis a few hours ago?" Loki said dryly to the A.I.

"Never mind" JARVIS said crisply.

As the mist cleared, it became obvious that the new arrivals were Frost Giants. One of them, a male warrior, stepped forward.

"Hail, Farbauti, Queen of Jotunheim" he called.

Loki glanced at Frigga, unsure of how to proceed. Frigga stepped forward, and Farbauti stepped forward to meet her. They bowed their heads to one another in respect. Farbauti's eyes darted towards Loki, and he stared openly at her.

"Merry meet. Welcome to Midgard." Frigga said mildly.

"Much has changed since the last time I set foot on this realm" Farbauti commented. She took in her surroundings before darting a glance towards Loki again.

Frigga took her queue. "Farbauti, _Dangerous Striker_, Queen of Jotunheim, daughter of Isframherji, may I introduce my son, Loki, Prince of Asgard and the Nine Realms, Commander of Odin's Guard and Master of the Wall."

Loki glanced again at Frigga. He could see the hidden worry on her face. He stepped forward and bowed stiffly to Farbauti. He could not stop staring at the woman who was his birth mother. His mind was racing at the sight of her.

On the odd occasion when he was younger, Loki had wondered why he didn't look more like his family; never guessing in his naivety that he was not their blood kin. As he looked upon Farbauti, there was no mistaking that they were related. She did not look quite as he might have expected. She had the blue skin with raised scarification of a Frost Giant, but her eyes, instead of a piercing, unnatural red, were cool green-blue. Her hair was jet black, streaked with silver, and fell in waves past her shoulders. She was tall, not nearly as tall as the male giant by her side, but tall if compared to an Asgardian female, and slender, with elegant hands.

The way she held herself seem eerily familiar to Loki, he could see himself mirrored in her, and it rattled him. Farbauti was staring right back, her eyes searching his face, for what he knew not. Both were at a complete loss for words. Finally after an agonising moment of silence, Farbauti tore her eyes away from the long-lost son, and glanced at her company.

"Allow me to present Rytingur, captain of my armies; Angrboda, my personal bodyguard and Ismaer, my hand-maiden."

The company bowed respectfully, but all of them were clearly trying to not stare at Loki. Their interest irked him- this was an intensely private moment. He didn't appreciate spectators.

Frigga, always sensitive and thoughtful, picked up on the awkwardness. "Perhaps I can offer your retinue refreshments, and allow you to have some privacy with your... son?" she offered.

Farbauti managed to tear her eyes away from Loki to look at Frigga. "Yes. That is kind of you. We shall join you shortly."

"If you would follow me?" Frigga said graciously to the entourage.

"My lady?" Angrboda questioned, hesitant to leave her Queen unprotected.

"It is all right" Farbauti assured her. She looked at Loki appraisingly. "I believe I will be safe."

Angrboda frowned slightly, but bowed and joined the others as they departed the room. Frigga cast one brief, tense look at her younger son as she went.

Farbauti and Loki looked at each other. Farbauti's expression was calm and appraising, but her eyes were troubled. Loki continued to look hard at her, still complete unsure how to feel.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet me" Farbauti said.

Loki swallowed the lump in his throat. "I don't know what it is that you think you need to say to me" he said flatly.

Farbauti's shoulders slumped slightly, and she looked away. "I have so much I want to say to you. And I know not where to start. How does one explain a terrible mistake and ask for forgiveness?"

Loki considered that for a moment, the sentiment ringing true in his heart. "I do not know. I genuinely don't."

"Can I tell you the story of how I lost you?" she asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.

Loki paced the room for a moment, before folding his arms and then sitting upon a sofa. He gestured to Farbauti to sit opposite him, and she did, looking at the sofa with some curiosity. She sighed and spent a moment gathering her thoughts.

"The history between myself and Laufey, your birth-father is long and complicated. It would be fair to say that it was unhappy right from the start. The first of our two children were still-born. Laufey swore our union was cursed; said I was small and weak, and that we would never produce an heir. And then, after many years of hoping, you were born, on the eve of battle."

She smiled weakly, sadness touching her eyes. "Small, very small, but so robust! I was thrilled. I presented you, my healthy son, to your father. He took you from me. He said he would send you to his family in the mountains for safety until the battle was won. Fool that I was, I believed him."

Farbauti's expression became hard. "I did not know what he'd done to you- that he'd left you on that alter to appease the old gods." She shook her head, clearly still traumatised even after all the long years.

"After the battle, one of the healers told me... I ran to the alter, but you were gone, and I screamed and screamed until Laufey's guard found me and dragged me away and locked me in my chambers. For weeks I knew nothing of your fate, until one day Laufey graced me with his presence, and told me the king of Asgard had taken pity on you, and had taken you as a war prize." She paused and drew in a shaky breath. "He told me not to worry, that you were Asgard's problem now. Those were his exact words." Farbauti looked up and met Loki's eyes. "I _hated_ that man" she breathed.

Loki stared at Farbauti, struggling to keep his face impassive.

"You... did not _wish_ to surrender me?"

Farbauti shook her head slowly, her mouth set in an unhappy line.

Loki blinked as he took this in. "Why did you never come for me? If you had gone to Odin, told him this story, he would have returned me to you."

"I was exiled. The place where I was exiled to... there was no chance of getting off-world, and no way of doing so, as Odin had taken the Iskitsu- the casket that was the source of my people's power and gave us the ability to travel to other realms. So I waited. I waited a very long time. And then they day came when Laufey's greed and desire for revenge undid him. And it nearly destroyed us all."

"That was my doing" Loki said quietly. "It was I who opened the Bifrost upon Jotunheim." There was no pride in his words.

"I know" Farbauti said, looking at him, her expression surprisingly calm. "After the devastation Frigga- your... _mother_" Farbauti corrected herself "reached out to us. She explained what had happened, and why. She blamed herself, and Odin. But I just blame Laufey... and myself."

Her expression was downcast. "I understand why you have such a low opinion of the Jotun, why you sought to destroy us. You were scared and shocked. You lashed out, not knowing... not understanding that we _are_ more than just savages, that there was love for you in my realm."

"I did not know any better. And even if I had... I was in a dark place in my heart. I wanted to hurt everyone, destroy everything. Love would not have touched me."

"I understand that pain, Loki. But you can only live off it for so long. There were so many Jotuns who were ready to tear Asgard apart in retaliation for the attack, but I chose to broker peace. I felt I owed it to Asgard. I owed it to Frigga and Odin for raising you with such kindness and love, and most of all I owed it to you. I knew that eventually you would return to your families. I wanted to have something to give you that would make your return worthwhile.

"You were born to be king of Jotunheim. I do not care what you have done, for I believe that you have been punished for your crimes with suffering, and I believe it is time for you to make amends by starting anew." she let out a shuddering breath. "I am not just here to ask for your forgiveness, I am here to ask you to take up your birthright."

Loki mulled this over, and shook his head. "After everything I've done, you want to put this power in my hands? I'm not sure Frigga has been completely honest with you. I tried usurp the throne of Asgard the same day I tried to destroy Jotunheim; killed their king- my own birth-father; tried to conquer Earth and failed miserably... and now you're willing to reward me for my mistakes and failures, make me a king and give me an army? There are _many_ people who would object to me be handed this power."

"You are not being handed anything" Farbauti said flatly. "I do not think you understand life on Jotunheim. You will have to fight for _everything_- you will face a brutal initiation and training; and if you do manage to make it through that, you will have to fight just to live. If you want to succeed as king you will have to fight for it. If you want to win people's loyalty and trust, you will have to _earn_ it- and that is the hardest fight of all. You will have enemies everywhere. Only the strong will survive, but the cunning will flourish."

"Would my kin really see Patricide as cunning?" Loki asked suspiciously.

"Many of them would, yes. You certainly wouldn't be the first son to take the throne by force. And Laufey was not a popular king. After we lost the war against Asgard, our civilisation did not prosper. I have worked so hard to bring us back from ruin. If you are willing to follow my lead, in time, the people will accept you. They will have to- you are the true heir to the throne."

"This is a fascinating proposal, but I'm afraid I am finding it a little hard to believe." Loki said calmly.

"What, do you think I am going to finesse you back to Jotunheim and then cut you to pieces? Do you think I have been waiting your whole life to meet you again just so I could do that to you?" Farbauti said hotly. She folded her arms and nodded. "Frigga warned me of this. Of your dark suspicions, the way your question everyone's motive."

"My dark suspicions have kept me alive quite successfully." Loki drawled.

"Good. You will need that. You life on Jotunheim will be hard- brutal at times. There will be none of the comforts you were raised with. Your training as a Jotun warrior is dangerous, and I cannot guarantee you will survive it. And the initiation ritual is worse still."

"You are not really selling this" Loki murmured.

"I am not here to sell you lies. I am here to help and protect you, as a mother should. I know I am far too late for that sentiment, but in my heart I know it is the right thing to do. You cannot stay here, Loki. You cannot remain the restless, ignored pet of these people. I cannot guarantee your safety or even your success, but I can guarantee you a chance to flourish and grow, to earn the respect of your people. I can help you become truly great. Is that not what you want?"

Loki opened him mouth to speak, realised he had no idea what he wanted to say, and closed his mouth again. He stared at Farbauti. "I do not deserve this kindness. And to be honest, it's been said that I lack conviction. I'm not sure I'm the one you want to take a chance on." he finally managed.

"Of course I will take a chance on you- and I hope that you will take a chance on me, and your people." Farbauti countered. "A second chance at life" she whispered. "And a second chance for you. We cannot undo the wrongs we have done, but perhaps we can begin to let go of the hatred, begin to at least _try_ to make good choices."

Loki sat silent for many long moment, the possibilities swirling in his head. "This is my only chance isn't it?" he finally asked aloud. "To let go of everything I know, everything I've done, and start again. To step out of Thor's shadow, to be more than just the Trickster, the God of Lies. The failed conqueror. This is chance to walk the path anew, wiser from all the mistakes I have made."

This was, by far, the best offer he'd been made in a very, very long time.

Farbauti nodded. "You will be remade. And if you come through it, you will be so much more than you ever thought possible. You will no longer be the same person- you will be something _better._"

"Good" Loki breathed.

Farbauti leaned forward and reached out towards Loki. Loki considered her for a moment, and then reached forwards, grasping her forearms. She held his arms in return, and gazed at him, tears glimmering in her eyes. "You will trust me?"

"If you will trust me" Loki said, managing a weak smile.

Loki's mind buzzed with the possibilities. The first thing he wondered was how he would tell Thor he was leaving, if Thor would be angry or disturbed at the thought, and how would Frigga react? He could not ask her to embrace his decision, but in his heart he knew he needed her blessing.

And then he wondered if he would even be allowed to leave- _let them try and stop me_ he suddenly thought. He looked at his birth mother and saw the person he could become.

_Let them try and stop us_.

He smiled.

_To be concluded_

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

_Author's notes: I am so sorry how long it took to get this ready- I can't thank you enough for your patience and encouragement. It was so dialogue heavy and needed so many edits and re-writes. I hope you felt it was worth the wait, and hey, a super-long chapter in the end! This doesn't end here- there is a post-script to come, and most likely there will be a surprise additional chapter of Vicissitude- turns out that series wasn't done after all, a little more story to tell..._

_Once again I'd like to point out that in Norse mythology Laufey is Loki's mother, and Farbauti is his father- the names were switched in the comics/movie, and it's not me being stupid! I made up so much head-canon for this story, and the idea of Loki being let off the hook to go play King with the Frost Giants... not easy to sell, but Farbauti just really wants her son back. And Loki is ready for his second chance._

_As for Loki's 'titles' -that was a bit of fun on my part. Royal types always seem to have lovely and complicated sounding titles, so I decided to roll some out. I think 'Odin's Guard' is actually something from the comics, I didn't look it up, I just went for it. Doubt Loki still has that job! As for the title of 'Prince of Asgard and the Nine Realms'- also unlikely to anyone but his mum! Farbauti does traditionally mean 'dangerous striker' – Wiki it, the origin of the name is cool._

_The additional characters, with the exception of Angrboda, were made up by me to fill necessary rolls. Angrboda exists in Norse mythology. Look her up if you're wondering...!_

_Again, my apologies for the delay in posting. I hope you enjoyed it. Keep an eye out for the finale, and also keep in mind that Vicissitude is getting another (final) chapter._

_-Jen xx_


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